Extra incentive means a lot in an emotional sport like basketball.
Atholton had a couple of reasons to play with extra incentive last night against Edgewood.
The No. 14 Raiders had lost to the Rams two straight years -- last season by 17 points.
And No. 19 Edgewood is a team with a big reputation. The Rams have been to the state final four three of the last four years. Everyone wants to beat a team with a reputation.
So from the time the Rams stepped on the floor at Atholton, the Raiders played hard, clamping a full-court press on Edgewood that it had difficulty solving.
The result was a 64-47 Atholton victory.
"It meant a lot to our kids that we had lost to Edgewood last season and then they went to the state playoffs," Atholton coach Jim Albert said.
Albert was happy with the way his defense played. It created 23 turnovers -- nine in the first quarter when the Raiders (3-0) spurted to a 21-7 lead.
"Our defensive intensity was good, our press was very effective and we came out ready to play, so I was pleased," Albert said.
Atholton shot 10-for-17 that first quarter, but it was the only quarter the Raiders shot well.
They sank to 6-for-20 in the second quarter, 6-for-14 in the third quarter and 3-for-11 in the fourth quarter.
"Offensively, we hurt ourselves by missing a lot of easy shots and by turning it over a lot," Albert said. "I think the kids get caught up with rankings, and that puts pressure on them to do well. I know we can play better."
Edgewood coach Bob Slagle knew his team was in for a tough test.
"Atholton is an excellent team with good balance and chemistry and that plays hard together," he said. "They played at the level we'd like to play, but it is going to take us some more time to put things together."
Slagle's team is small and he unexpectedly lost his second-leading scorer and top rebounder from last season.
"This was a tough lesson for us, but we're going to take some lumps because we're just learning how to play together," he said.
Albert expected more of a challenge from Edgewood, but he still thought it was the best team that Atholton has faced so far. The Raiders have beaten South Carroll and Liberty.
Atholton had four players score in double figures -- Brian Benden (11 points), D.J. Chiles (12 points), Varian Harvey (13 points) and Nate Watkins (11 points).
Its biggest lead was, 42-16.