Neither team is flashy. They won't break any scoring records.
But a focus on tight defense and a disciplined approach to the game has carried the Century boys and girls basketball programs to a solid record of success during the last 10 years, and the current season looks like it might be the best ever on Ronsdale Road.
Following a 45-36 win over the Winters Mill Falcons on Jan. 24, the Century girls have a comfortable two-game lead in the Carroll County standings. The Knights' 14-1 start is easily the best in program history, and Century has never won eight of its first nine county games before this year.
It's a new feeling for senior Alice Mercer, who has won two state championships in lacrosse and also started for a Century field hockey team that reached the Class 2A final.
"We knew that the last two years would be rebuilding years," said Mercer, now in her fourth season on the varsity squad. "This year, we have a lot of experience.
"It's such a great accomplishment to be 14-1," she said. "We're first in the region and county, and really have a good chance to make this year one of our best.
"We have several players on this team who have won state championships in other sports, and we know that everybody needs to come out here and work hard every day because that's what makes a state title team."
Despite their first-place standing in the county, the Knights aren't among statistical leaders in offensive categories. Junior Jamie Clark, who leads the county in free-throw percentage, and Mercer are the Knights' top scorers, despite averaging fewer than 10 points per game. Senior Angela Flister is 12th among county rebounders.
It's a different story when the Knights don't have the ball. Century creates a lot of turnovers, as evidenced by Mercer's county-leading five steals per game. Juniors Haley Bordner and Cassidy Jones are fourth and sixth in the county, averaging more than two steals per game.
The Knights recorded an losing season last winter, so the way the team has banded together is especially pleasing to head coach Joel Beard.
"It seems like we have a different leading scorer every game," said Beard. "We're very balanced. Haley, Angela, and Jamie have done a nice job rebounding, and we have two sophomore guards who have played well for us in Brooke Snyder and Tess Nichols."
While the Knights have discussed the postseason, they remain focused on winning their remaining regular-season games and earning the top seed in the Class 2A West regional playoffs.
"My goal is to deal with the playoffs when we actually get there," said Beard. "We want to be playing as well as we can at the end of the regular season. This might be the team that can go further."
Beard realizes that he will need big contributions from his five seniors when the postseason arrives.
"Each of them brings us something important," he said. "Angela's our big rebounder and has had a couple of high-scoring games. Alice plays as hard and as fast as anybody in our league.
"Allyson (Belknap) is a strong defensive player, and Alyssa (Dixon) can score and has played well. Alyssia (Harris) has been sick and missed some time, but when she's healthy she really helps us. It's a nice mix."
Boys' knights
While the Century girls were dispatching Winters Mill this past Tuesday, the Knights boys were doing the same to the Falcons.
Century improved to 13-2 overall and 8-1 in county play with the 66-34 victory over visiting Winters Mill, the Knights' second consecutive win after back-to-back defeats to traditional regional powers South Carroll and Middletown.
"I didn't expect us to be this successful this early," said boys' head coach George Wunder, who guided Century to a 22-3 record and a Class 2A West regional championship in the 2008-09 campaign. "We only brought back three players from last year's team, and I thought we would struggle early.
"Before the season, we knew we had some kids who could shoot the basketball and create for others, but we had some concerns about our defense and rebounding. But we've played well defensively as a group, and the rebounding has been strong," Wunder said.
A Feb. 10 rematch with South Carroll will likely determine the county champion, and have a significant effect on the seeding for the Class 2A West regional playoffs. The Cavaliers handed Century its only county loss on Jan. 13, trouncing the host Knights, 52-30.
Wunder's team played its customary strong defense, but a rare poor shooting effort by the Knights affected the outcome. Century followed the loss to South Carroll with a defeat at Middletown.
Despite the midseason losses, Wunder remains optimistic the Knights can make a run at a regional title and a return to the state tournament.
"This team has to approach it a little differently than our 2008-09 team, which had great guard play and great inside play," Wunder said. "As long as they continually learn how to feed off one another and use each other's strengths, the potential is there to make that run.
"Playing at Comcast Center is a pretty special thing," he said of the state finals. "We've had that taste of it, and so have South Carroll and Winters Mill. Kids want to get back to that point."
The recent setbacks haven't changed the outlook of senior guard Mitch Sleight, a fixture in the Knights lineup for the last three seasons.
"This year we're a lot smaller, but we make up for it with our heart and our intensity," said Sleight, the county's most accurate free-throw shooter at 91 percent. "What has led to so many victories is our ability to get out into the open court and run. On defense, we always preach helping each other out, and the new players have caught on quickly. We're a very well-rounded team."
The Knights are a balanced squad, with four starters averaging in double figures. Sleight and forward Evan Fritsche are the offensive forces for a team with just three seniors. Fritsche, a three-year starter, is Century's top scorer (14.1 points per game) and rebounder (7.7 per game). Sleight contributes 13.2 points and four assists per outing.
"They have been around me the most, and they know the expectations," Wunder said. "Evan and Mitch are great leaders and they're unselfish, and that kind of attitude is contagious with our other guys."
The Knights' third senior starter, forward Michael Austin, didn't play last season while recuperating from a broken ankle. Austin has given the team a boost at the offensive end, averaging 10.7 points. He joins with Fritsche and Sleight to give the Knights three starters that make more than 50 percent of their field goal attempts.
"Michael is an athlete and a great competitor," said Wunder. "Early on, there was a little bit of rust because he didn't play last year. It didn't take long for him to shake that off, maybe a week-and-a-half. He's a leader by example, and a great defender."
The deep lineup also includes junior guards Chris Tan and Billy Dickman. Tan, the Knights' point guard and the county's steals leader, adds 11.5 points per game. Both guards are accurate long-distance shooters, with Dickman making well over 40 percent of his three-point attempts.
Wunder said Tan is, "the quickest kid I've ever coached, and he handles the ball like no other player we've had. His ability to harass the other teams' point guard really helps our team defense."
Familiarity breeds success
The continuity of both programs is a major reason for their success.
Wunder and Beard have headed the Century boys' and girls' basketball programs since the school opened in 2001.
Mercer, who has gone through coaching changes in lacrosse and field hockey, realizes the benefit of having one basketball coach throughout her high school career.
"It creates stability," she said. "In both lacrosse and field hockey, it was hard to get used to the different coaching styles. Coach Beard and (junior varsity) Coach (Barry) Green have been here for a long time. They know each other and are familiar with how each one coaches.
"When you keep the same focus on working hard, being responsible for your actions on the court, and being accountable for yourself, it helps us to understand where we are and what we're doing," she said. "It's more comfortable for the players."