In a match-up against first-place Marriotts Ridge Wednesday evening, Reservoir took the opportunity to showcase just how dangerous it can be when everything is clicking.
Behind the team’s most balanced offensive effort of the season — with Bobby Hill (14 points, 19 rebounds and 6 blocks) leading a group of 10 different players that scored at least one basket — the Gators led the Mustangs from start to finish on the way to a 67-44 victory.
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“We’ve been talking a lot about locking in, focusing and giving that complete effort and tonight we got awfully close,” Reservoir coach Ian Pope said. “These guys came out ready to play and the best part was it wasn’t just one or two of them, it was every single player being ready to contribute. Our bench supported the starters and everyone played for each other … we saw tonight how good we can be when everyone is playing for that same goal.”
Reservoir junior Bobby Hill talks about the Gators' 67-44 win over Marriotts Ridge on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2020.
Reservoir (5-2, 8-3) raced out of the gates with a 12-2 run in the opening four minutes and extended that cushion to 12 points, 19-7, by the end of the first quarter. Marriotts Ridge (5-2, 9-4) closed to within eight with a strong second quarter, but Reservoir put its foot on the accelerator immediately out of halftime to put the game away.
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The Gators scored 17 of the first 19 points in the third quarter to go ahead by 23, 49-26. Over the final 10 minutes, the Mustangs never got closer than 19.
In addition to the standout all-around game from Hill, Kaleb Glasper (10 points), Rashod Ballard (10), Jaylen Manning (8) and Drew McKenna (8) were all consistent contributors for the Gators in the win.
After dropping back-to-back games against Springbrook and Oakland Mills around winter break, Reservoir has now reeled off four straight victories — all by eight points or more. And in the county race, the team is currently tied for second place only one game behind Oakland Mills.
“Those close losses at the beginning of the season, those helped to bring us together,” Hill said. “It’s allowed us to focus on what we needed to do to get better, and it’s pushing us for this late run for the county championship.”
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For Marriotts Ridge, the loss snapped a three-game win streak. John Miller (10 points) and Austin Avent (9) each had stretches of strong play, but outside of a 7-0 run to close the second quarter the Mustangs simply were unable to slow down the Reservoir attack.
“They are so fast, they get up-and-down the court so quickly … the moment you let your guard down, they are laying it in on the other end,” Marriotts Ridge coach Tim Brady said. “We couldn’t even get into our press because they were getting the ball inbounds so quickly. All the credit to them, though. They played a near perfect game and we played arguably our worst game of the season and obviously the score reflects that.”
Reservoir will look to keep its momentum going in the right direction with a road match-up against Wilde Lake on Friday, while Marriotts Ridge will try to bounce back against Atholton on the road the same day.
Reservoir 67, Marriotts Ridge 44
Re (5-2, 8-3): Hill 14, Ballard 10, Glasper 10, Manning 8, McKenna 8, Ameli 7, Mess 4, Jerry 2, Stevenson 2, Ha 2.
MR (5-2, 9-4): Miller 10, Avent 9, Bryan 7, Tran 6, Snell 6, Page 2, Greene 2, Smith 2.
Half: 32-24 Re.
Other scores:
River Hill 45, Centennial 41
Nick Marshall returned from injury to score a team-high 14 points and Ethan Smith was right behind him with 13, as the Hawks earned the victory over the first-place Eagles for their second county win of the season.
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Marshall played a little over 20 minutes after sitting out the previous seven games with a leg injury and immediately made an impact as a scorer and as a facilitator.
“He’s just a difference maker. He can score and he also creates opportunities for the rest of his teammates,” River Hill coach Matt Graves said. “He picked his moments today and played at a great pace. It was a big win for us.”
River Hill held narrow leads at the end of the second and third quarters before eventually prevailing down the stretch thanks to holding the Eagles to just six fourth-quarter points.
C (5-2, 9-3): Hwang 10, Baker 9, Sedlacko 9, Taylor 6, Lee 3, Bonner 2, Benavides 2.
Half: 23-19 RH.
Oakland Mills 72, Hammond 61
Truth Norton continued his stellar start to the week, scoring a game-high 29 points just two days after dropping 30 against Catonsville. He made three 3-point shots.
Barry Evans (14 points) and DJ Hopkins (12) also scored in double figures in the winning effort for the Scorpions, who jumped ahead 19-7 by the end of the first quarter. Oakland Mills is now alone in first place in the county standings with a 6-1 league record.
Ian Addision, in his second game back from injury, scored 17 points to lead the way for Hammond.
OM (6-1, 10-2): Norton 29, Evans 14, Hopkins 12, Jackson 8, Diaby 8, Lincoln 1.
Ha (1-5, 5-7): Addison 17, Edwards 9, Aodu 7, Bennett 7, King 7, Moore 6, Thomas 4, Mair 2, Alexandre 2.
Half: 38-25 OM.
Atholton 57, Wilde Lake 48
Jordan Oates led the way with 23 points and 18 rebounds, as the Raiders held off the Wildecats down the stretch. Jabari Rankin, Raymond Brown and Jack Anderson added seven points apiece.
Marcus Mitchell scored a team-high 18 points in the loss for Wilde Lake.
The Lions earned the road win in the rivalry matchup behind a career-high 26 points from Cooper Haberern, who was playing against his former team. Overall, eight Howard players scored three or more points.
Kojo Addo scored a team-high 14 points in the loss for Long Reach.
Ho (4-2, 8-3): Haberern 26, Bruner 7, Brown 6, Colbert 5, Simmons 5, Harris 4, Kuehl 3, Hendricks 3.
LR (2-5, 5-8): Addo 14, Yarbough 9, Brown 7, Zaky 5, Raymond 5, Olivis 4, Saunders 1.
Half: 27- 19 Ho.
Mt. Hebron 53, Glenelg 41
The Vikings earned their first county victory, getting big games from Evan Ichrist (16 points) and Justin Michelotti (12) on the way to the double-digit win at home. Mt. Hebron jumped out to a 20-10 lead by the end of the first quarter.