Reservoir turned one of its weaknesses into a strength on Wednesday to help pull away for a road victory over Glenelg.
The Gators, who have struggled from the foul line at times early this season, hit 9 of 10 free throws in the final three minutes on the way to the 57-50 win. On the game, Reservoir (3-1, 4-1) hit over 80 percent from the line.
"It's something that has been a sore spot, so at the end of practice we've been doing one-and-ones … literally there have been two practices where we went 5-32, so it's definitely been a priority and something we've had to work on," Reservoir coach Mike Coughlan said. "They've been held accountable for it and hopefully tonight is a sign we're getting better."
Seth Henry led the way with 20 points for the Gators and he did the majority of his damage in the first half.
After Glenelg (1-3, 1-3), which was led on the evening by Dom Napolitano's 16 points, jumped out to a quick 13-4 lead, Henry helped guide his team back into it. Following a couple big baskets to open the second quarter by the Gators' German Garcia (8 points), Henry proceeded to score nine of Reservoir's next 13 points on the way to turning the one-time deficit into a 25-17 advantage.
That push helped set up a 26-21 Reservoir lead at the half.
But even without its leading scorer Nick Oates (sick), Glenelg found an answer out of intermission. Eight straight points in the middle of the third quarter from the combination of Napolitano, Stone Conners (8 points), Matt Hammert (8) and Brent Richardson (4) put the Gladiators back in front, 35-33.
That, however, is the last lead Glenelg had.
Reservoir closed the third quarter with an 11-0 run to go back in front, 44-35. Johvon Garcia scored six of his nine points on the night during that stretch.
Glenelg got as close as three points with 1:16 left in regulation following a 3-pointer by Hammert, but Reservoir proceeded to knock down its free throws to negate any comeback hopes.
During the fourth quarter, Henry, Johvon Garcia, Andrew Phillips (6 points) and Jon Mierzwa (6) all hit critical shots from the charity stripe.
Afterward, Coughlan said that while he was happy to get out with a victory, the inconsistency throughout the game is something his young squad has to improve on.
"This is going to be a learning experience every night … and I need to be more patient because we have kids that simply don't have that varsity experience to fall back on," Coughlan said. "The hope is that we progress throughout the year and the objective is to be ready come February and March to peak for playoffs."
Reservoir 57, Glenelg 50
Re (3-1, 4-1): Henry 20, J. Garcia 9, G. Garcia 8, Phillips 6, Mierzwa 6, Obering 5, Winters 3.
G (1-3, 1-3): Napolitano 16, Hammert 8, Conners 8, Mills 7, Richardson 4, Koele 3, Wade 2, Heigh 2,
Half: 26-21 Re.
Other scores:
Centennial 57, Howard 53 OT
Isaiah White scored eight of his game-high 27 points in overtime to help the Eagles stay undefeated on the season with the four-point victory over the Lions.
C (4-0, 5-0): I. White 27, Strothers 15, Brown 7, Clemens 3, E. White 2, An 2, Wilson 1.
Ho (1-3, 1-3): Shuart 16, Savage 8, Greene 7, Dargan 6, O'Malley 6, Dawkins 4, Noble 2, O'Malley 6, McNair 2, Robinson 2.
Half: 25-23 C; End of regulation: 44-44.
Oakland Mills 70, River Hill 52
OM (4-0, 4-0): Robinson 22, Kiely 13, Hopkins 11, Williams-Day 11, Stanfield 9, Ndiaye 4.
RH (1-3, 1-3): Thomas 20, Desimone 9, Borucki 9, Sandler 8, Mentle 4, Ndiritu 2.
Half: 30-22 OM.
Mt. Hebron 50, Marriotts Ridge 42
MH (3-1, 3-1): A. Smith 25, M. Smith 8, Bryant 7, Madden 3, Schroeder 3, Maloney 2, Linsenmeyer 2.
MR (2-2, 3-2): Caffes 16, Clipp 10, Speelman 9, Koller 3, Ingersoll 2, Skogmo 2.
Atholton 53, Wilde Lake 37
A (3-1, 4-1): Willis 17, Kelly 9, Rodgers 7, Mendelsohn 7, Washington 6, Mason 4, Myers 2, Mercilliott 1.
WL (0-4, 0-4): Cantwell 8, Barnes 6, Bowie 4, Stubblefield 4, Morgan 4, Ichrist 4, DelaRosa 4, Jordan 3,
Half: 26-15 A.
Long Reach 66, Hammond 55
LR (2-2, 2-3): Avery 18, Clark 14, Duckett 11, Menusan 8, Lamar 7, Briscoe 3, Perez 2, Statimades 2, Parham 1.
Ha (0-4, 1-4): Wilcher 21, Johnson 9, A. Moore 7, Allen 6, Ridgell 5, Whong 4, Nicholas 2, Moore 1.
Half: 34-21 LR.
Glenelg Country 72, Winters Mill 64
GC (1-4, 4-4): Williams 22, Wilson 12, Longpre 10, Hightower 10, Walsh 9, Bernetti 5, Tverijonas 3, Burnett 1.
WM: Woodgand 21, Dorsey 18, Martin 15, Egsamor 6, Cook 2, Sabad 2.
Half: 32-26 GC.