COLUMBIA, MD — Mt. Hebron girls basketball coach Tony Bell could hardly believe the final score himself.
Not only did his team win at 2013 regional finalist Atholton on Friday night, but it did so in convincing fashion, cruising to a dominant 52-34 victory.
"Really? Was it 18? Oh wow, I didn't realize that. I hardly ever look at the scoreboard," said Bell, whose team out rebounded Atholton, 36-21. "We had a gameplan. We knew they were a tough team … but we only lost one player from last year so I had my team back too."
The Vikings (4-0) went on a scoring flurry late in the second quarter, capped by a Megan Doherty three-pointer, to build a 21-15 halftime lead, and the Raiders (2-1) never got closer than seven points down in the second half.
Mt. Hebron junior center Gabby Green scored 12 points and pulled down 15 rebounds, despite getting into foul trouble early in the second half, while Doherty scored 13 of her game-high 18 points in the second half.
"We know we can play with them and we just want a little respect. We wanted to come out and let people know that we're legit," Bell said. "We're a complete team … this team has heart and they play for one another. As long as we keep that up, we'll take on anybody. We're not going to back down from anybody. Can we lose? Yes. But are we going to back down? No."
Mt. Hebron's Megan Konig also had a strong game, scoring nine points with three assists, three rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Peyton Leconte scored seven points with five rebounds and five steals, and Nia Crump chipped in five points with eight rebounds and two steals.
"We prepared for them in practice, and we came in strong and did what we needed to do. I was very proud of my team," Green said. "Everyone had their part. Everyone played a great game."
Atholton was led by senior guard Chelsea Mitchell with 11 points, three assists, three rebounds and two steals. Senior Kalere Caldwell added nine points, and sophomore guard Francesca Vanegas scored nine points with six steals and three rebounds.
Sage Mayhew led the Raiders on the boards with five rebounds, and added two steals.
"We knew it was going to be a competitive game," Atholton coach Julia Reynold said. "Mt. Hebron really capitalized off of any turnovers that we had and then we started trading baskets. They shot lights out, both from outside and working the ball inside."
Mt. Hebron will host Atholton in a rematch in late January.
MH (4-0): Doherty 18; Green 12; Konig 9; Leconte 7; Crump 5.
A (2-1): Mitchell 11; Caldwell 9; Vanegas 9; Hart 3; Burmester 2.
Half: MH 21-15