There's something about Christmas and the Wes Unseld New Year's Classic, played annually at Catonsville Community College, that brings out the best in Broadneck High.

Last night, the Bruins (3-1) used a stifling defense and a run-and-gun offense to rout Hammond (1-4), 75-42, opening defense of their tournament championship.

The Bruins have won the past four Unseld Classic championships.

Broadneck's Jeff Vincent had 26 points to lead all scorers. Tonight at 8 in a semifinal, Broadneck will face Mount St. Joseph, which squeezed by Edmondson, 70-69, in the tournament opener.

"Maybe we should schedule Annapolis here," Broadneck coach Ken Kazmarek said. "It's hard to put a finger on it, but we've built a winning tradition here. I think people expect us to play well here, and when we're expected to play well we usually do."

In the third game, Randallstown (2-6, 2-6) cut a 14-point Woodlawn lead to five midway through the third quarter, but the Warriors (4-1, 4-1), behind 21 points from Demontre Owens and Trent Thames, recorded a 66-44 victory in a Baltimore County 4A-3A game.

Kenny Hunt led the Rams with 17 points.

The win puts the Warriors into this evening's 6:15 semifinal against Loyola (6-2). The Dons got 17 points from Jerry Hunt and 15 points from Steve Kraning to defeat Forest Park, 85-65. The Foresters were led by Harvey Chambers' 23 points.

In Broadneck's win, the Bruins wasted little time, using a press to score the game's first 12 points.