ELLICOTT CITY, MD — With just more than 3:30 to play on Tuesday nigh, defending champion Howard had control over visiting Atholton, leading the road-weary Raiders, 50-47.
And then, almost from out of nowhere, Atholton senior Chelsea Mitchell took over.
The county's leading scorer with 20 points per game, Mitchell hit a pretty step-back three to tie the game at 50-50. Over the next 80 seconds, she hit two free throws and scored a layup on an assist from senior Sage Mayhew, who then drove to the basket herself to put the Raiders ahead 56-50.
"I was really frustrated in the first half and third quarter, but my teammates were telling me 'You got it'," said Mitchell, who was held to only five points in the first half, but went off for 14 in the fourth quarter. "I just had to stay focused and keep pushing."
By the time Mitchell scored the last of her game-high 19 points on a field goal with 1:10 remaining, the game was well in hand, and Atholton (13-1) — playing its tenth game in a row on the road — cruised to a 58-51 victory.
"Great players step up in big moments and (Mitchell) did today," said Howard coach Scott Robinson, whose team dropped to 11-3 in conference play with the loss. "She's a great player."
The Raiders — whose home gym has been under renovations since winter break — defeated Mt. Hebron, 49-48, on Saturday evening to take over sole possession of first place in Howard County.
"It's just composure … we had to execute in the fourth quarter. Having the close game on Saturday definitely helped prepare us for a Howard team that was going to be very difficult," Atholton coach Julia Reynold said.
Howard sophomore Sam Lewis had a stand-out performance from beyond the arc, hitting six three-pointers in the second half to score a team-high 18 points and keep the game close.
"Sam's done that in other games this year. She's a scorer. She's got a very quick release so she's difficult to defend," Robinson said. "That's what she can do."
Howard senior guards Jayda Gilmore (12) and Natalie Talley (8) combined for 20 points in the loss.
Atholton will visit second-place Centennial (12-2) next Tuesday as it tries to close in on its first county title since 2007.
"They're in great position … they control their own destiny," said Robinson, who has great respect for Atholton on its quest. "I give them a lot of praise that they're able to do all of this on the road. What they're doing is a very arduous task to play game after game on the road. It's really not fair to their players but their players are overcoming it and doing a great job, just being road warriors."
Reynold said that having a traveling support system has helped ease the loss of a home court advantage.
"Our fans and parents and teachers and students coming out to support the girls means a lot to them and us as a coaching staff," she said.
Sophomore Ryan Jones scored 14 points, including two three-pointers, and junior Caitlyn Burmester scored 13, to join Mitchell in double digits.
Sophomore Fran Vanegas, who scored the winning free throws against Mt. Hebron on Saturday, missed the game and will be sidelined for the rest of the week after reaggravating an ankle injury from earlier this season.
"We play as a team. Different people are always stepping up and you never know who it is, which makes it fun," Reynold said.
Atholton will use Howard as its home gym during the upcoming regional playoffs.
"They warmed up the nets today," Robinson said.
A (13-1): Mitchell 19, Jones 14, Burmester 13, Caldwell 6, Quinn 4, Mayhew 2.
Ho (11-3): Lewis 18, Gilmore 12, Talley 8, Scott 5, Batterton 4, Furr 2, Wordell 2.
Half: A 23-22