Photos: Laurel center Trey Elzey (top) and guard Artie Savage (below)

The Bulldogs' Cinderella season came to an end in the 2002 Delaware state boys' basketball tournament, but not until they established new standards for the program.

The quarterfinal round loss to No. 3 St. Elizabeth prevented Laurel from reaching the Final Four for the first time, but it didn't stop it from becoming the first Laurel team to reach the quarterfinals or from becoming the lowest-seeded team to reach the quarterfinals in state history.

Seeded 22nd, the Bulldogs finished their season at 14-11.

Just 6-10 at one point, the Bulldogs won eight straight games including an 81-77 victory over No. 11 St. Mark's in four overtimes in the first round of the tournament and a 74-67 win over No. 6 Archmere in the second round.

St. Elizabeth moves into the semifinals at the Bob Carpenter Center at the University of Delaware on Thursday, March 7.

Against the Vikings, Laurel stayed close until a third quarter run by St. Elizabeth put the game out of reach.

Trailing 20-13 after one quarter and 34-27 at halftime, the Bulldogs pulled within 36-31 only to see St. E's go on a 15-8 run for a 51-39 lead going into the fourth quarter.

Center Trey Elzey paced Laurel with 18 points, while senior guard Artie Savage added 12 more. Anton Ridley and Jackie Taylor contributed 8 and 7 points, respectively.

The Bulldogs return all of their starters next year except senior guard Artie Savage.

For St. Elizabeth, Shane Sowden scored 24 points and Jack Scholz added 17.

For details on the Bulldogs' second round win over Archmere, click the score above.

Photos: Laurel center Trey Elzey

In one of the longest state tournament games on record, the 22nd-seeded Bulldogs survived to stun No. 11 St. Mark's in a first round 2002 Delaware state boys' basketball tournament contest.

The Bulldogs, now 13-10 overall with their seventh straight victory, will meet No. 6 Archmere in the second round Saturday at 4 p.m. at Smyrna. Archmere is 15-8. A win over the Auks would put Laurel in the state quarterfinals for the first time. St. Mark's season ended at 12-11.

The game against St. Mark's was tied 52-52 after regulation, 55-55 after the first overtime, 63-63 after the second, and 70-70 after the third.

Sophomore center Trey Elzey helped Laurel pull away in the fourth overtime with 8 of his 31 points, including a pair of foul shots in the final minute, to help the Bulldogs go up 79-73.

Guard Jimmy Hartstein also sank a pair of free throws in the final minute.

That the Bulldogs came alive at the foul line in the final overtime was somewhat ironic given that they missed four free throws in the last minute of regulation that could have ended the game then.

Photo: Laurel forward Troy Elzey

The Bulldogs couldn't catch Lake Forest in the Henlopen Conference Southern Division race but they did clinch a state tournament berth to cap a remarkable comeback from last year's 3-19 record.

In finishing one game behind four-time South champion Lake Forest, the Bulldogs earned the automatic tournament berth that goes to the South's second-place team. Laurel concluded the regular season at 12-7 in the conference.

Laurel could have forged a tie for the South championship with its win, but Lake Forest beat Woodbridge in another conference game on Thursday night to clinch the title.

Against Delmar, the Bulldogs posted a 22-13 advantage in the second quarter and made it stand up the rest of the game.

Forward Troy Elzey sparked Laurel with 19 points. Center Trey Elzey contributed 13 points while guard Patrick Belle added 12.

Photo: Laurel coach B.J. Joseph

The Bulldogs rose to 11-7 in the conference and remained alive for the Henlopen Conference Southern Division title with its fourth straight victory.

With one conference game left, the Bulldogs, at 11-7, trail division-leading Lake Forest, at 12-6, by one game. Lake beat Seaford 81-72 in another conference game on Tuesday.

Laurel hosts Delmar in its conference and regular season finale on Thursday, Feb. 21, at 7:30 p.m., while Lake Forest hosts Woodbridge in its final regular season game the same night.

Should Laurel beat Delmar and Lake lose to Woodbridge, the two teams would end up tied for the South crown and would play a playoff game on Saturday, Feb. 23, to determine the division champion and the South's representative against North champ Sussex Tech in the conference championship game on Tuesday, Feb. 26.

Against Milford, the Bulldogs took a 17-8 lead after one quarter and never looked back.

Artie Savage led the victory with 15 points, while Patrick Belle contributed 10 more. Trey Elzey added 9.

The win lifted the Bulldogs to 11-10 overall.

Photo: Laurel point guard Jackie Taylor

The Bulldogs remained in contention for the Henlopen Conference Southern Division title with the romp.

At 10-7 in the conference and 10-10 overall, Laurel is one game behind Lake Forest in the South chase.

Laurel, led by Trey Elzey's 13 points, has won three straight games.

Guards Artie Savage and Jackie Taylor added 11 and 10 points, respectively.

The Bulldogs took command with a 14-7 edge in the second quarter that gave them a 32-21 halftime lead.

The Bulldogs' late-season surge combined with Lake Forest's late-season collapse brought Laurel to within a game of Lake for the Henlopen Conference Southern Division lead.

With its third straight win, Laurel rose to 9-7 in the conference, while Lake Forest lost to Sussex Tech in another game Thursday to fall to 10-6 in the conference with its third straight loss.

The Bulldogs' title hopes appeared to be dim after a loss to Lake Forest on Feb. 5 left them four games behind with only six games to play.

Against Indian River, Laurel spread the scoring around as 11 different players scored at least two field goals.

Guard Artie Savage led the way with 18 points, while forward Anton Ridley and center Trey Elzey added 10 and 8 points, respectively.

The win lifted the Bulldogs to 9-10 overall.

The Bulldogs pulled within two games of Lake Forest for the Henlopen Conference Southern Division lead with their second straight win.

In rising to 8-7 in the conference and 8-10 overall, the Bulldogs pulled away from Woodbridge with a 22-12 advantage in the third quarter.

Center Trey Elzey and guard Artie Savage sparked Laurel with 19 and 17 points, respectively. Anton Ridley added 9 more.

The Bulldogs knocked off their rivals behind center Trey Elzey's season-high 32 points. In the back-and-forth contest, Laurel led 28-21 at halftime only to see Seaford go ahead 38-35 heading into the fourth quarter. Artie Savage and Anton Ridley contributed 11 and 9 points, respectively, for the Bulldogs, who improved to 7-7 in the conference and 7-10 overall.

The Bulldogs dropped the Henlopen Conference game to the Southern Division leaders to fall to 6-7 in the conference and 6-10 overall. The Bulldogs were outscored 22-7 in the first quarter but closed the gap to 36-30 by halftime. An 18-8 deficit in the third quarter, though, sealed Laurel's fate. Trey Elzey paced the Bulldogs with 20 points. Jackie Taylor added 10 points, while Artie Savage and Patrick Belle chipped in with 9 points apiece. Laurel hosts Seaford in a conference game on Friday, Feb. 8, at 7:30 p.m.

The Bulldogs slowly pulled away in the fourth quarter by outscoring Smyrna 19-14 in the final period of the Henlopen Conference Southern Division affair. Trey Elzey and Artie Savage led the way for Laurel with 19 and 16 points, respectively. The win raised the Bulldogs to 6-6 in the conference and 6-9 overall.

The Bulldogs fell behind early, trailing 16-8 in the first quarter, and didn't recover in the Henlopen Conference game. Trey Elzey scored 22 points and Patrick Belle 11. The Bulldogs' second straight loss and fourth defeat in the last five games dropped them to 5-6 in the conference and 5-9 overall.

The Bulldogs got a career-high 31 points from Trey Elzey but they weren't enough to prevent the Henlopen Conference defeat. Artie Savage added 8 points. The loss dropped Laurel to 5-5 in the conference and 5-8 overall.

The Bulldogs were led by Trey Elzey's 22 points in the Henlopen Conference win over Sussex Central. Artie Savage contributed 15 points. The win raised Laurel to 5-4 in the conference and 5-7 overall.

The Bulldogs were outscored 28-9 in the first period by the Henlopen Conference Northern Division leaders and couldn't recover.

Guard Artie Savage paced Laurel with 20 points, but it wasn't enough to prevent the Bulldogs' loss to Sussex Tech.

Trey Elzey added 11 points and Patrick Belle contributed 9 points for Laurel, which slipped to 4-4 in the conference and 4-7 overall.

The Bulldogs fell behind early but almost pulled out the Henlopen Conference contest.

Laurel trailed 33-20 at halftime but cut into the lead to tie the game 39-39 in the fourth period.

After that, though, Cape Henlopen scored seven of the game's final nine points to hold the Bulldogs off.

Artie Savage paced the Bulldogs with 14 points. Laurel is now 4-3 in the conference and 4-6 overall.

Laurel visits Sussex Tech in conference action on Thursday, Jan 17, at 7:30 p.m.

The Bulldogs started pulling away in the second half of the Henlopen Conference victory.

With the game tied 32-32 at halftime, Laurel began to take control with a 13-7 advantage in the third period. The Bulldogs then closed the game out with a 25-14 edge in the fourth quarter.

Anton Ridley scored 18 points to lead Laurel, which rose to 4-2 in the conference and 4-5 overall and into a tie for first place in the Southern Division with Lake Forest.

Trey Elzey assisted Ridley with 10 points, while Artie Savage contributed 9 points.

The Bulldogs lost a five-point halftime lead in a disastrous third quarter in which they scored only 7 points.

In falling to 3-2 in the Henlopen Conference and 3-4 overall, Laurel was outscored by Delmar 24-7 in the third quarter.

Anton Ridley led the Bulldogs with 17 points. He was joined in double figures by guard Jackie Taylor, who finished with 13 points, and guard Artie Savage, who finished with 10.

It was the fourth consecutive loss for the Bulldogs, who began the season with three straight wins.

Laurel visits Polytech in a conference game on Friday, Jan. 11, at 7:30 p.m.

The Bulldogs suffered their first loss of the season after losing five players to fouls in the Henlopen Conference Southern Division battle.

In falling to 3-1 in the conference and overall, the Bulldogs saw top scorer Trey Elzey, Anton Ridley, Patrick Belle, Jackie Taylor and Terren Hitchens all foul out of the overtime affair.

Belle led the Bulldogs in scoring with 20 points, while Taylor and Jimmy Hartstein contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Despite their foul problems, Laurel still had a chance to win the game as it led 54-50 with two minutes left in regulation.

Four straight points by Indian River, though, sent the game into overtime.

The Bulldogs still led twice in overtime, once at 56-54 on a steal and fast break layup by Taylor and again at 58-56 on a pair of foul shots by Taylor.

But after Taylor's free throws, the Indians scored six consecutive points to take the lead for good.

Laurel would pull within 62-60 on a foul line jumper by Troy Elzey and 64-62 on a layup by Hartstein, but the Bulldogs' hopes to force a second overtime ended when a follow shot by Donte Penn at the buzzer was altered by 6-10 IR center Justin Tomlinson.

Laurel will participate in the annual Lions Club Tournament at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center in Salisbury, Md., next week. The Bulldogs take on Cambridge on Friday, Dec. 28, at 4 p.m. and Pocomoke on Saturday, Dec. 29, at 2:30 p.m.

Laurel continued to be the surprise team of the Henlopen Conference with its third victory to open the season.

Now 3-0 in the conference and overall, the Bulldogs led throughout the game against their rivals.

Trey Elzey scored 26 points to spark the Bulldogs, who made their 28-23 halftime lead over Seaford stand up in the second half.

Guards Patrick Belle and Jackie Taylor contributed 17 more points. Taylor sank a three-pointer.

The Bulldogs surprised pre-season Henlopen Conference Southern Division favorite Lake Forest with a gritty effort in the fourth quarter that lifted them to 2-0 in the conference and overall.

With the teams tied 39-39 entering the final period, the Bulldogs overcame the three-time defending division champions behind center Trey Elzey and guard Patrick Belle.

Elzey scored 15 points and Belle added 13. They combined to make 10 of their 13 free throw attempts for Laurel, which shot 21-for-29 from the foul line compared to Lake's 8-for-24 performance.

Foul shooting enabled Laurel to overcome a sub-par game by leading scorer Artie Savage, who managed only 7 points.

At the same time, the Bulldogs stifled two of Lake Forest's top players, Terrell Hicks and Jeff Scott. Hicks scored only 4 points and Scott only 3.

The Bulldogs got off to a successful start with a fourth quarter surge in the Henlopen Conference Southern Division victory.

Coming off a 3-19 season, Laurel was tied 56-56 entering the fourth period.

The Bulldogs were led in their opener by Artie Savage's 20 points, including a pair of three-pointers.

Trey Elzey scored 12 points and Anton Ridley and Patrick Belle tossed in 10 points apiece.

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