Having watched its once 13-point lead evaporate in the second half Friday night against Long Reach, Reservoir's young team was on the ropes.
Seniors Seth Henry and Jon Mierzwa, however, weren't panicking.
The duo, which has led the Gators all winter, proceeded to combine for 15 of their team's final 17 points in the fourth quarter and ultimately that proved to be just enough to hold on for a 57-56 victory over the visiting Lightning.
"It's great to see the seniors stepping up in the moments where they are supposed to step up," Reservoir coach Mike Coughlan said. "The young kids gave us a lift early, but I was really happy with Jon and Seth at the end when things were tight. Their leadership tonight was the difference."
Henry, who had exited the game late in the third quarter with a neck injury, returned to serve as a hero down the stretch for Reservoir (7-3 county, 8-5 overall). He went 4-4 from the foul line, made a big steal and grabbed a crucial offensive rebound all in the final 40 seconds to help secure the win.
Long Reach (5-5, 6-7) still had a chance to tie in the closing seconds, but instead of going for a 3-pointer, the Lightning ended up with a lay-up and the clock ran out.
On the game, Henry (20 points) and Mierzwa (13 points) paced a Gators team that has now won two straight games following a four-game skid entering the week.
"You know, those Christmas tournament games we lost … I think those helped us in giving us a reference point that in turn helps us down the road," Coughlan said. "It didn't help us the first games back, but being in those tough situations I thought made all the difference these last two games.
"A close win like tonight … that's a huge confidence builder for the kids."
Reservoir was in control early against Long Reach, leading 16-12 after the first quarter and 30-21 at the half. Then, following four straight points by Henry immediately out of intermission, the Gators had themselves their largest lead of the night, 34-21.
But, just when it seemed the game was getting away from them, the Lightning responded.
On the backs of Ron Carter (19 points), Terrell Lamar (12) and Dakwonte Avery (10), among others, Long Reach went on a 16-2 run to come all the way back and grab the team's first lead since the first quarter.
"We definitely raised our level of play on the defensive end and I thought that turned into better offense for us," Long Reach coach Al Moraz Jr. said. "That third quarter, into the fourth, we were a different team I thought than we were to start."
Coughlan said his own team's defense, which was a big strength in the first half, lapsed a little out of halftime.
"We're not as consistent defensively as last year's group was. This group gets two to three stops and then will suddenly start letting up, and as we always talk about, that's not how we do things," he said. "We still have a few bad habits that we're working on."
Long Reach ended up going up by as many as three points, 43-40, early in the fourth quarter following a lay-up by Carter. But Reservoir showed great resolve and forced a back-and-forth final five minutes.
Overall, there were five ties and four lead changes in the fourth quarter.
The game's defining play came with 55 seconds left, as Long Reach had the ball up by a point. Mierzwa proceeded to make a steal around midcourt and race in for a transition lay-up that put the Gators in front.
From there, there were foul shots made by both teams, but the lead never changed hands again.
Moraz said he was pleased with his team's fight, but ultimately there were a few too many missed opportunities during crunch time.
"Down the stretch, we just have to be a little smarter … know the time and situation and value the basketball," he said. "We had a couple crucial turnovers at the end that cost us."
Reservoir 57, Long Reach 56
Re (7-3, 8-5): Henry 20, Mierzwa 13, J. Garcia 6, Weith 5, Phillips 5, Obering 4, Omorogbe 2, Maloney 2.
LR (5-5, 6-7): Carter 19, Lamar 12, Avery 10, Clark 6, Duckett 6, Paul 2, Brodnax 1.
Half: 30-21 Re.
Other scores:
Mt. Hebron 73, Wilde Lake 48 (SEE FULL STORY AND PICTURES HERE)
MH (7-3, 10-3): M. Smith 19, Trapuzzano 17, Madden 10, A. Smith 9, Horton 6, Linsenmeyer 5, Stock 4, Carbonetti 3.
WL (1-9, 3-10): Jordan 14, Barnes 11, Delarosa 8, Stubblefield 4, Morgan 4, Ichrist 4, Lamptey 3.
Half: 41-26 MH.
Oakland Mills 70, Howard 54
OM (9-1, 11-2): Robinson 20, Aaron 14, Kiely 11, Stanfield 10, Ndiaye 7, Hopkins 6, Harris 2.
Ho (4-6, 6-7): Dawkins 16, Shuart 14, Savage 6, Greene 6, Noble 5, Okoye 4, O'Malley 3.
Glenelg 69, Marriotts Ridge 49
G (4-6, 6-6): Oates 26, Richardson 11, Mills 10, Hammert 6, Conners 4, Koele 4, Heigh 3, Wade 2, Davis 2, Bowman 1.
MR (3-7, 4-9): Clipp 10, Talentino 8, Caffes 7, Morath 6, Speelman 5, Koller 4, Ingersoll 3, Whitacre 3, Dar 2, Baig 1.
Half: 38-32 G.
River Hill 47, Atholton 36
RH (5-5, 8-5): Thomas 32, Martin 7, Sandler 4, DiSimone 2, Mentle 2.
A (4-6, 6-7): Willis 16, Waterworth 6, Mason 4, Roman 4, Kelly 3, Rodgers 3.
Half: 22-13 RH.
Chapelgate 82, St. Mary's 65
The Yellowjackets hit 14 threes on the night en route to the MIAA B Conference victory.
CCA (5-3, 11-9): Frierson 21, Madden 19, Mitchell 18, Grandy 12, Hughes 7, Marvin 3, Ball 2.
SM: McMillan 12, Portillo 12, Young 10, Davis 8, Dowell 8, Ben Rankin 6, Johnson 5, Will Rankin 2, Booth 2.
Half: 40-26 CCA.