River Hill coach Matt Graves got a little nostalgic following his team's victory over Gwynn Park Tuesday in the championship game of the Stanley Martin Homes basketball tournament at Magruder High School.
The Hawks strapped up defensively and held the Yellowjackets nearly 20 points below their season scoring average in a 54-40 win.
"It kind of reminded me of those good old days several years back where we would just grind it out and battle through when we may not be shooting the ball that well," Graves said. "We ran a 3-2 zone that we pushed out a little bit to get out on their shooters. When we can control the tempo like that, that's when we're at our best."
The River Hill (5-4) victory, which saw big games from Charlie Thomas (15 points), Jayden Martin (14) and Gary Sandler (12), was the latest in a recent surge of strong play. The Hawks have now won four straight games on the heels of a four-game losing skid and are beginning to look every bit like the squad predicted to be a contender in the preseason.
"They are suddenly a confident group of kids and I think a lot of that is having Cole Gabel back, who returned against Hammond, and he gives us a true point guard," Graves said. "Gary is able to shift over to the wing and I think everyone else is falling into their roles."
River Hill didn't do anything flashy against Gwynn Park (4-4), but managed to use what Graves called "mini-runs" to grab the lead and then hold onto it.
The Hawks were ahead 14-10 at the end of the first quarter, 30-19 at the half and then held a commanding 46-31 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
Gwynn Park, which had beaten Urbana 66-55 a day earlier, simply never got anything going offensively. Marlon White ended up as the team's leading scorer with 12 points.
River Hill 54, Gwynn Park 40
RH (5-4): Thomas 15, Martin 14, Sandler 12, Desimone 5, Mentle 5, Borucki 2, Gabel 1.
GP: White 12, Crump 8, I. Miles 6, Curtis 5, Miller 3, Lee 2, P. Miles 2, Parker 2.
Half: 30-19 RH.
Other scores:
Glenelg Country 58, Calvary Baptist (Winston-Salem) 41 (WNC Holiday Classic)
Anthony Longpre delivered a huge all-around game with 17 points, 12 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks to lead the way for the Dragons, while Darryl Williams put up a team-high 19 points in the win. Josh Hightower added four assists for Glenelg Country, which will play in the tournament championship game on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m.
GC (6-5): D Williams 19, Longpre 17, Bernetti 11, Wilson 9, Tverijonas 5, Williams 1.
CB: Adams 15, Parkitoney 11, Moore 7, Ross 5, Barker 3.
Half: 26-19 GC.
Old Mill 76, Howard 73 (Howard Holiday Tournament)
Catonsville 60, Hammond 46 (Century Holiday Tournament)