Snake bit in close games early this season, Howard got over the hump in the opening round of its own Holiday Tournament Monday evening against Pikesville.
The Lions, courtesy of a late lay-up by Bryce Shuart (18 points) and a made technical free throw by Patrick O'Malley (11 points), came from behind in the final 20 seconds to earn a 66-65 victory over the Panthers.
Howard (3-4) had lost its previous two games this season that were decided by a single possession.
"We still do some things that aren't exactly smart basketball plays in late-game situations … but again, this is a program that in the last four or five years hasn't won many games and hasn't been faced with many of these kind of scenarios," Howard coach Seth Willingham said. "So it's a process and it's something that you hope the more we are in these situations, the more it helps us.
"We're still not where I would like to be, but we're getting better."
Howard earns a meeting against Old Mill, which beat Francis Scott Key in the other semifinal contest, on Tuesday at 7 p.m. for the tournament championship.
Pikesville, which hit 11 threes on the night, certainly made the host Lions earn their spot in the final. The Panthers used their outside shooting to lead 18-13 at the end of the first quarter and 34-32 at the half.
Alon Purrio (18 points) and Robbie Hastie (13), who combined to hit eight of Pikesville's threes overall and score more than half the team's points in the opening two quarters, were the leaders at the onset.
But as Shuart and O'Malley came alive in the second half, Howard was able to grab control for the first time. Following a lay-up by O. Ajayi late in the third quarter, the Lions had their largest lead of the night at 55-45.
Just as Howard seemed ready to run away with things, though, Pikesville mounted another charge. This time, a series of lay-ups and made foul shots did the heavy lifting to get the Panthers in position where a three-pointer by Purrio with 90 seconds left in regulation gave Pikesville back the lead, 64-63.
After a free throw by Roy Sweets (13 points) with just over 20 seconds left, Shuart came through in the clutch with a driving lay-up to tie things up.
"Bryce is a kid that has a lot of heart and that's something you can't coach," Willingham said. "We tell our guys, when teams are playing us in zone, lets not settle for threes and lets get to the basket. And Bryce is one of the ones who consistently does it. As small as he is, he'll take it inside on anybody."
A couple seconds later, Pikesville was assessed a technical for an elbow in the lane and that allowed O'Malley to hit what ended up being the game-winning foul shot.
Sweets had a late opportunity to tie or take the lead, but he rimmed out a pair of foul shots of his own and Howard escaped with the victory.
Willingham says he's hoping the win, along with tomorrow's game against Old Mill, will provide the team with some momentum moving forward.
"We're hoping, even though it's just a two-game tournament, this gives us a little bit of a playoff feel," he said. "Old Mill is a great team … they hit a lot of threes. So, just like tonight, we're going to have to really try to keep people in front of us and get a hand up in shooter's faces.
"It's going to be a great challenge for the guys and I think there's a little extra incentive for us trying to get back to that .500 mark."
Howard 66, Pikesville 65
Ho (3-4): Shuart 18, O'Malley 11, Dawkins 11, Dargan 6, Noble 5, Savage 4, Robinson 4, Ajayi 4, Greene 2, Okoye 1.
P: Purrio 18, Hastie 13, Sweets 13, Kopel 10, Castillo 5, Jackson 4, Phillander 2.
Half: 34-32 P.