ELLICOTT CITY, MD — They call themselves road warriors.
And after winning nine straight games away from their home gym, including a 49-48 victory at Mt. Hebron Saturday night, the Atholton girls basketball team has certainly earned that moniker.
"I thought of this as a playoff atmosphere. It's exciting, it's great to have lots of people here to support both teams and high school girls basketball," Atholton coach Julia Reynold said. "Getting used to the road games is just taking it one game at a time and to just stay composed and focused and play greater basketball."
The game, which followed the induction of the 2015 class of the Howard County Women's Athletics Hall of Fame, had high stakes, as Atholton and Mt. Hebron entered the contest with matching 11-1 conference records.
The win gives the Raiders (12-1) sole possession of first place in Howard County with six games remaining, including a visit to Howard (11-2) on Tuesday evening. All of Atholton's remaining games this winter will be on the road as the Raiders' gymnasium undergoes renovations.
"We'll enjoy this win tonight but we've got to shift our focus to a great Howard team on Tuesday," Reynold said. "I'm just proud of my girls. They played with heart for the entire game. They trust in each other and it's fun to be a part of it. I hope they're having as much fun as I am."
Mt. Hebron controlled Saturday night's game in the early going.
Megan Konig showed a shooter's touch in the first quarter, scoring six of her 14 points in a 90-second span to give the Vikings (11-2) an early 11-3 lead. Peyton LeConte scored four of her six points in the first quarter, and Nia Crump (14 points, 12 rebounds) scored with six seconds left to put Mt. Hebron ahead, 15-8, heading into the second.
"In the beginning we were turning the ball over too many times and they capitalized off of it," Reynold said. "We had different people stepping up and just had to stay composed and take care of the basketball."
That formula, along with an intensified effort on defense, resulted in the Raiders outscoring the Vikings, 9-6, in the second quarter, with four different players — senior guard Chelsea Mitchell (13 points, 8 steals, 6 assists), junior forward Caitlin Burmester (9 points), sophomore guard Fran Vanegas (16 points) and senior forward Sage Mayhew (2 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists) — contributing points.
"Their press bothered us a little bit but it shouldn't have," Mt. Hebron coach Tony Bell said. "They're a good team and hopefully we'll see them again" in the playoffs.
On Dec. 12, Mt. Hebron traveled to Atholton and handed the Raiders their only loss, 52-34. The Vikings were undefeated in conference play until a loss to Centennial (11-2), 52-49, on Jan. 7.
"I told them to keep their heads up," Bell said. "If the course leads its way it's possible we'll be seeing (Atholton) again for a regional championship, hopefully."
Atholton came out hot in the second half, using an 8-0 run with four points each from Mitchell and Vanegas to take their first lead of the game at 25-23 with 4:50 remaining in the third quarter. The Raiders were 5-for-5 from the free throw line in the third quarter, and 14-for-18 in the second half.
"In the second half we were hitting our foul shots," Reynold said. "That's one thing that we really stress is in pressure situations that's going to happen."
Mt. Hebron held Mitchell, who is averaging about 20 points per game to lead the county, to only three points in the first half. But the returning first team all-county selection got rolling in the third quarter, scoring six points in less than 30 seconds — on a three-pointer and a layup plus foul shot — to put her team ahead, 31-27 with two minutes left in the third quarter.
"She's a phenomenal player. She attacks the basket, she's a good ball handler. She's a tough player," Bell said. "I think the first time we played her she had 11. We're not going to let her put up 30 or anything like that. We did a good job defending her ... they just made a lot of free throws."
Playing in front of a packed gym, the Vikings would not let Atholton run away with the game. Konig's jumper with 50 seconds left in the third quarter tied the game at 31-31 and set up an epic final frame.
The fourth quarter featured 35 points, two ties and five lead changes, as neither team would give in.
With less than 2:30 remaining, Mitchell leapt into the air to steal a pass at half court, drove to the basket, and delivered a smooth behind-the-back pass to Vanegas, who scored the easy lay-up while being fouled and then hit the free throw to put Atholton ahead, 47-42.
"That's the type of player (Mitchell) is. She steps up in big situations," Reynold said. "She relies on her teammates as well. We have trust in each other, we play as a team, that's how we win. She makes a play and it might open up someone else who hits a big shot for us. She creates off of the press and her defense."
With both teams in the double bonus in the fourth quarter, the game would come down to which team could hit more free throws.
Crump scored 10 of her 14 points in the fourth quarter to keep Mt. Hebron in the game, but the Vikings missed seven of their 14 free throws in the second half.
"We jumped out on top of them, then I think we got a little complacent," Bell said. "I told them, 'They're going to keep coming back at us guys,' and eventually they did."
Vanegas, who missed two weeks with an injury earlier this month, was a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line in the win, including two with 19 seconds left to put the Raiders ahead 49-46.
"We practice free throws like crazy," said senior forward Kalere Caldwell (9 points), who was 4-for-5 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter. "If we miss we have to run lines ... so we really stress our free throws. Looking at a game like this you realize how important free throws are."
Down by three points after Vanegas' free throws, the Vikings still had an opportunity to send the game to overtime.
After a time out, senior sharpshooter Meghan Doherty dribbled her way to an open look from beyond the three-point arc, but the shot was a few inches too long, caroming off of the back of the rim. Vikings junior center Gabrielle Green came down with the rebound with a second left on the clock, and her putback was good as the backboard lit up red signifying the end of the game.
For a moment, it appeared as if the referees had called a foul, in which case Green would have had an opportunity to send the game to overtime with a free throw.
"We had to stop their shooters and make sure not to foul no matter what," said Vanegas, who defended Doherty's three-point attempt.
Caldwell was under the basket with Green on the putback.
"It looked like they called a foul on me, but then the other ref said no," Caldwell said. "Hebron played a really tough game ... we knew coming in that we were going to have to step our game up, and they did the exact same. It was actually really fun to play."
The Raiders will enjoy the win and sole possession of first place for now, but then on Tuesday it is back to business.
"Road warriors, that's what you've got to be," Caldwell said.
A (12-1): Vanegas 16, Mitchell 13, Burmester 9, Caldwell 9, Mayhew 2.
MH (11-2): Crump 14, Konig 14, LeConte 6, Devine 3, Doherty 3, Green 3, Williams 3, Alli 2.
Half: MH 21-17