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Any doubts about Sussex Tech's standing as the top high school boys' basketball team in the Northern Division and possibly the entire Henlopen Conference were dispelled Friday night, Jan. 29, 1999, before a boisterous capacity crowd in Georgetown.

Led by juniors Brian Polk and Brandon Palmer, who each recorded a double-double, the fourth-ranked Ravens outlasted ninth-ranked Milford 60-50 for their 13th consecutive victory. Tech improved to 11-1 in the conference and 14-1 overall while Milford slipped to 10-3, 11-4.

"For us, it's a real good win. This conference is really tough," Tech coach Jerry Kobasa said. "The Henlopen Conference is a hell of a conference."

The Ravens dominated the boards most of the game, getting numerous second-shot opportunities and limiting Milford to one-and-done on most possessions. They also controlled the tempo with a solid defensive effort in the half-court.

Polk led all scorers with 22 points and 15 rebounds while Palmer added 13 points and 12 boards.

"Foul shooting and rebounding wins games.We got some good rebounds. Polk and Palmer and (Rondell) Wise did a great job on the boards tonight for us," Kobasa said. "Tonight, again, we made foul shots down at the end."

Cheered on by a huge crowd that was whipped into a frenzy long before the opening tip, Tech led the game from start to finish and kept Milford at arm's length all evening. The victory allowed the Ravens to maintain a two-game lead over Seaford in the Northern Division.

"We don't overlook any teams. It's not really a thing to prove anything, but it's basically for them coming in our own house, we've got let them know who's boss," Polk said. "We can't let anybody come in our house and think they own it."

Added Palmer: "I felt pressure tonight because of all the teams we've beaten, people still don't have that much hope in us. There's always somebody better than us."

Tech also got solid efforts from Tynell Tingle, who scored all nine of his points in the second half, and Rondell Wise, who came off the bench score two clutch baskets and and grab a number of key rebounds in the fourth quarter.

"We've been lucky. We've been having different people do it at different times," Kobasa said. "We've been preaching togetherness all year. Brian's going to do his thing and he's going to be there almost game-in and game-out but the key is somebody else has to step up with him."

On Friday night, it was Palmer, who scored five points in a fast-paced fourth quarter and grabbed nine offensive rebounds in the second half.

"Palmer doesn't look like he's doing much but every time you grade the film, he's doing everything. He's playing defense, he's rebounding, he's assisting and he'll score points for you too," Kobasa said.

Tech led 40-30 after three quarters but Milford got two 3-pointers from John Harper and a layup by Jack Wanzer to pull within 44-38 with 5:04 to play. The Bucs were still within striking distance at 48-41 two minutes later when Tech went on a 7-3 mini-run to extend its lead to 11 points.

Palmer had a tip-in and a jumper in the lane while Polk broke away on a steal and pleased the crowd with one-handed slam dunk to make it 55-44. A 3-pointer by J.R. Faulkner got Milford within 57-50 with 28.3 seconds remaining but Tingle and Palmer sank a series of clutch free throws to ice the game for Tech in the final minute.

Milford got few second-shot opportunities in the fourth quarter while Tech seemed to launch at least two shots every time down the floor.

"We just basically played hard defense and boxed out. Defense wins ballgames," Polk said. "We wanted to play on the boards the whole game."

Polk threw down a pair of crowd-pleasing dunks in the first quarter as Tech built a 12-8 lead after the first eight minutes. A layup by Robert Drummond got the Bucs within 12-10 early in the second period before the Ravens scored seven points in a span of 16 seconds.

Larry Bryant was fouled on a successful layup but missed the ensuing free throw. Polk rebounded, however, and was fouled on the put-back. His foul shot was off the mark, but the Ravens rebounded again and fed Polk, who drained a 3-pointer to make it 19-10.

A turnaround jumper by Derrieus Johnson and a layup by Depriest Walker cut the lead to 19-14 but Palmer drove the lane for a score and Polk sank an NBA-length 3-pointer from the top of the circle to give the Ravens a 24-14 advantage.

However, Tech would go scoreless the next 4:22 and Milford would get as close as four points before halftime. Johnson had two free throws and a layup and Faulkner another basket as the Bucs crept within 24-20. A late basket by Palmer ended Milford's run and gave Tech a six-point lead at the break.

"Coach was upset about the score (at halftime) because we were playing sloppy," Palmer said. "He wanted us all on the boards, offensively and defensively."

Tech again found its shooting touch in the third quarter, getting a short jumper from Polk and 3-pointer from Robert Hooks to open a 31-20 lead. The Ravens controlled the tempo the rest of the quarter, getting a three from Tingle and a spectacular reverse alley-oop slam from Polk to carry a 10-point lead into the final period.

Johnson led Milford with 13 points while Harper added 11.