Broadneck coach John Williams likes to think of his team this year as being fairly balanced, capable of winning games in a number of different ways.
On the road Wednesday against Oakland Mills, it turned out to be a night where the Bruins' defense and perimeter shooters were called on to do the heavy lifting.
Overcoming a second quarter where it didn't make a single field goal, Broadneck made seven threes — four in the second half — and delivered several big defensive stops down the stretch to hold on for a 37-34 victory over the Scorpions.
"Defense and rebounding have really been our focus right from the beginning of the season and we've been pretty consistent with that. And tonight, although we scored only 37 points, I thought we had some timely points," Williams said. "Oakland Mills was sitting in that 3-2 zone, and they are pretty long as well, so getting the ball inside was tough. But we saw some opportunities in the corners and we made a few big shots."
Damon Gomer ended up scoring 14 points, including four 3-pointers, to lead the way for Broadneck (3-3). After starting the year 0-2, the Bruins have now won three out of four and all three victories have been by three points or less.
Gomer said afterward that, while the team typically likes to work through it's 6-foot-7 senior center Jaylen Jasper, there is a lot of confidence in the team's outside shooters when a team decides to pack it in like the Scorpions did.
"We like a motion offense, like pick and roll, and we just pop out. If the shot's there we knock it down," Gomer said.
Oakland Mills (2-3) had its own struggles for long stretches on the offensive end, with only one player — Jordan Hopkins (game-high 15 points) — finishing with more than five points.
And yet, despite falling behind by as many as eight points early in the fourth quarter, the Scorpions hung around. Following a steal and lay-up by Hopkins with a minute remaining in regulation, Oakland Mills had made it a one-point game.
Broadneck answered with a pair of made foul shots from Michael McKercher with 39 seconds remaining to create a three-point lead, 37-34. Then, with a chance to tie and force overtime, Oakland Mills had two different attempts go off the mark before the buzzer sounds and the Bruins held on to win.
"Our inexperience, especially down the stretch, hurt us a little. We tried to go small and apply pressure, which helped, but we just made too many mistakes — second-chance rebounds, standing around on defense — and it cost us," Oakland Mills coach Jon Browne said. "That was an ugly game, no other way to really put it. We held them to 37 points and still lost, that's not good."
While Jasper finished with only three points for Broadneck, he still made his presence felt throughout. He blocked 11 shots on the defensive end and altered several others.
"On the defensive end of the court, he's unmatched as far as anyone else I've ever coached. He's extremely athletic and his timing is impeccable," Williams said. "He's a game changer, and I think as teams penetrate and attack the zone as the game goes on, they have him in the back of their mind."
Guards Shane Davis (9 points) and Chad Datko (7) chipped in with solid efforts on the offensive end as well for the Bruins.
Broadneck 37, Oakland Mills 34
B (3-3): Gomer 14, Davis 9, Datko 7, McKercher 4, Jasper 3.
OM (2-3): Hopkins 15, Estep 5, Burgess 4, Ware 3, Simpson 2, Eaton 2, McFadden 2, Tarver 1.
Half: 13-13.
Other scores:
Reservoir 70, Annapolis 59
It took a huge late-game push, but the Gators stayed undefeated on the season Wednesday. Annapolis led 59-56 with a little over three minutes to go, but Reservoir (6-0) responded with a 14-0 run to close the fourth quarter and win going away.
It was another relatively balanced scoring effort for the Gators, with Kevin Miller (18 points) and Judge Payne (12) leading the way. But of the supporting cast, Chauncey Upsher was particularly big with 11 points coming off the bench.
Re (6-0): Miller 18, Payne 12, Upsher 11, Carey 9, Walker 8, Akinbinu 5, Archampong 4, Gunther 2, Ricketts 1.
A: Jones 14, Gross 13, Spriggs 12, Dion 11, Davidson 5, Alexander 2, Turner 2.
Half: 29-28 Re.
Atholton 77, Northeast 61
Jacob Waterworth set a new program record by knocking down seven 3-pointers en route to a career-high 31 points to lead the way for the Raiders in the win.
A (2-4): Waterworth 31, Washington 16, Parkins 8, Dobson 7, Murray 7, Perlin 4, Carey 2, Rankin 2.
NE: Rojas 24, McNeal Jr. 13, Caine 6, Fair 5, Christian 5, Stewart 4, Summers 2, Volkman 2.
Half: 36-22 A.
Glenelg 49, Severna Park 34
The Gladiators stayed hot, earning the 15-point win over the Falcons to move to 5-1 overall this winter.
Chris Currie scored 11 points to lead the way for a Glenelg offense that saw seven guys score four or more points.
G (5-1): Curie 11, Piwowarski 8, McAuliffe 7, Koele 6, Powell 4, Heigh 4, Wade 4, Kittleman 2, Walsh 1, Boswell 1, Davis 1.
SP: Jake Hallet 11, Joyce 6, Jordan Hallet 4, Bloom 4, Huntley 3, Thomas 2, Milton 2, Fischer 2.
Half: 30-17 G.
River Hill 47, Chesapeake 40
The Hawks made the play late to win a game that was a one-possession game most of the second half. Jaden Martin and Luke Champion scored 12 points apiece to pace the River Hill attack in the win, while Jake Robinson chipped in with 10 points.
RH (4-3): Martin 12, Champion 12, Robinson 10, Daniels 4, Clark 3, Mann 3, Hirsch 3.
Ch: Rebstock 11, Hagen 10, Onitzer 6, Kern 5, Oxyer 4, Zuknik 2, Seidler 2.
Half: 25-21 RH.
Arundel 48, Centennial 46
In a crazy finish, Arundel's Quest Delaney (14 points) sank a 3-pointer with a second left to earn the victory. Centennial's Elijah White had hit a 3-point shot with seven seconds left to temporarily put the Eagles ahead by one.
The loss was the second straight narrow non-county loss for Centennial after starting the year 4-0 overall.
A: Delaney 14, Wise Jr 8, Joyner 6, Hogan 5, Walker 4, Brown Jr. 3, Radford 3, Thornton 3, Kelly 2.
C (4-2): Addisu 14, White 11, Hohmann 9, Ford 6, Taylor 4, Eudell 2.
Half: 20-11 A.
Southern 59, Wilde Lake 58
The Bulldogs led almost the entire way, including by as many as 14 points in the second half, but it took a couple late foul shots by Curtis Holland III to seal the deal on a one-point victory over the Wildecats.
Holland finished with a game-high 23 points, while Trea Keys led the way for Wilde Lake with 16.
S: Holland 23, Carroll 17, Horvath 12, Graves 5, Clingerman 2.
WL (2-4): Keys 16, David 11, Bullett 9, Nicholas 7, Barnes 7, Greene 4, Joseph 4.
North County 66, Marriotts Ridge 54
Kris Peet had 22 points, nine rebounds, five steals, five assists and four blocks to pace the Knights to their fourth straight win.
Brandon Held led Marriotts Ridge in the loss with 19 points.
NC: Peet 22, Lopez 13, Ennis 8, Spence 8, White 4, Roat 3, Gaskins 2.
MR (1-5): Held 19, Olsofaka 12, Davis 6, Lunsford 4, Hettinger 4, Lee 3, Derminal 2, Turner 2, Geiger 2.
Half: 31-26 NC.
Glen Burnie 67, Hammond 64
The Gophers stayed unbeaten, getting a 3-pointer at the buzzer from Troy Smoot to earn the victory over the Golden Beas. Dayvon Cuffey led the way for Glen Burnie in the win with 29 points and 17 rebounds.
Micah Henry scored a team-high 20 points in the loss for Hammond.
GB (6-0): Cuffey 29, Smoot 11, Gbowa 9, Watkins 8, Cavey 5, Felder 3, Santos 2.
Ha (2-4): Henry 20, Gordon 15, Stallings 15, Ridgell 6, Goodson 4, Martin 3, Tukpah 1.
Half: 28-27 GB.
Old Mill 77, Howard 61
Avion Robinson paced the Old Mill attack with 26 points on the way to the win over the Lions, who are still searching for their first victory this winter.
OM: Robinson 26, Jenkins 18, Bush 10, Savage 7, Johnson 7, Spriggs 5, Barnes 4.
Ho (0-6): Kim 12, Walker 9, Cross 9, Johnson 8, Javier 8, Cowan 6, Davis 5, Dawkins 4.
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Half: 38-21 OM.
Meade 60, Long Reach 58
Jeremy Washington (21 points) hit the game-winning lay-up as time expired to lift the Mustangs to the two-point victory. Long Reach fell to 1-5 overall this winter.
Glenelg Country 64, Loyola 45
GC (6-4): Longpre 25, Gabbidon 3, Wilson 8, Owen 8, Burnett 5, Fanning 3, Nedunnalli 2.
L: Lewis 30, Nnake 9, Nelson 4, Halaby 2.
Half: 30-17 GC.