GLENELG, MD — Midway through the third quarter at Glenelg on Friday night, Atholton senior Chelsea Mitchell took a shot from the baseline that clanged high off of the side of the backboard. Later, with less than three minutes to play in the fourth quarter, the all-county guard got an open look at a three-pointer, and launched a shot, badly missing everything.
She also uncharacteristically missed three free throws in the fourth quarter, allowing upset-minded Glenelg to take a 44-43 lead with 2:30 remaining.
Mitchell, the county's scoring leader, had good reason to doubt her abilities on Friday night. But with a 16-game winning streak and the county title on the line, she knew that when her team inevitably turned to her in the final minute, there would be no room for doubt.
"At first I was like 'Wow', but you've got to adjust, you've got to switch off, go back and forth, look at other players, start dishing passes," said Mitchell, who nailed a jumper in the paint with a minute left and then sank two free throws with 18 seconds left to put her team ahead for good. "It's 0-0, it's a fresh start. I was just thinking like I was at practice."
Led by Mitchell's 24 points, the Raiders (17-1) won, 49-46, to clinch at least a share of their first county title since 2007, when they also won their only state title. Atholton closes out the regular season at Oakland Mills (11-7) on Monday.
"It still hasn't hit us yet. We still have to prepare for a very tough Oakland Mills team on Monday," said Reynold, whose team has played 15 straight games on the road while the Atholton gym is renovated. "It was an exciting game and we still have a lot to learn from each and every game."
Glenelg (11-8), which has no seniors and starts three sophomores and a freshman, gave the Raiders one of their toughest challenges of the season. The Gladiators led, 25-24, at halftime, and overcame a 14-3 deficit in the first quarter. Glenelg went on a 6-0 run to start the second half to extend its lead to 31-24. With a minute left in the third, freshman Kellie Johnson (6 points) scored to give her team its biggest lead of the game, at 35-27. Freshman sharpshooter Jess Foster (9 points) banked in a three-pointer with 2:30 left to put her team ahead, 44-43.
"We were just playing Glenelg basketball … the girls communicated well," coach Chris Beil said. "I felt like we matched up very well against them … we're all looking forward to the playoffs and I'm glad it was a competitive game."
Sophomores Bernice Hanlon (11 points), Grace Butera (6 points) and Julia Wolfrey (6 points, 12 blocks) were instrumental in controlling the boards and keeping Atholton from driving to the basket.
"Glenelg came ready to play. They are an incredible team and we had to make several adjustments to keep our team together," Reynold said. "They were killing us on the boards and inside … Glenelg is a physical, tough team, and we have to be prepared for that."
Junior Chelsea Henggeler (8 points) scored from the post three times in the second quarter to help the Gladiators take a lead into halftime.
"We got a little flustered at the end there. We were very calm at the beginning, but it was a double header and as more people came in here we started realizing the magnitude of the situation," Beil said. "We're a young team and for the most part we hung in there."
The Raiders were without senior forward Kalere Caldwell, their top inside presence, who suffered a concussion in a win over Centennial on Feb. 10 and is out indefinitely.
"We definitely missed her size, because we are a small team," Mitchell said. Glenelg is "big. Their post players can shoot and drive. They can do a lot."
Atholton sophomore Fran Vanegas hit two three-pointers in the first quarter and finished with 8 points, and fellow sophomore Ryan Jones hit two free throws with two seconds left to take any drama out of the final buzzer.
Mitchell scored only once in the third quarter, but found her stroke for 12 points in the fourth quarter to secure the win.
"Chelsea is a fantastic player and she will come through in the end, but when her shot wasn't falling we had different people who were contributing," Reynold said.
A (17-1): Mitchell 24, Vanegas 8, Hart 6, Burmester 5, Mayhew 4, Jones 2.
G (11-8): Hanlon 11, Foster 9, Henggeler 8, Butera 6, Johnson 6, Wolfrey 6.
Half: G 25-24