In recent years Oakland Mills always lost the close ones against Thomas Johnson.
The Scorpions (7-1) lost to the Patriots, 95-91, in overtime earlier this season, and had not beaten them since the regional championship game in 1991.
But No. 15 Oakland Mills, which sank eight three-point baskets, finally got the monkey off its back last night in the championship game of the Frederick News-Post Holiday Invitational.
Oakland Mills pitted its superior quickness against Thomas Johnson's superior height and came away with a 59-57 victory.
Fardan Carter's steal and three-point play with 28 seconds left provided the winning margin.
"We had tried a jump-switch with Quan [Davis] earlier and it didn't work, but this time it did," said Carter, who scored 21 points. "[Tom Praesel] had a chance to foul me after the steal, but I guess he thought he was going to block my shot."
Instead, Carter was fouled as he sank a layup. He sank the free throw to make it 59-57.
Although Carter's steal was the key play, it was Mike Hill's back-to-back three-point baskets in the fourth quarter that sparked an Oakland Mills rally from a 53-42 deficit. Hill averages 24 points but was held to 16.
The Patriots (6-1), undefeated and ranked No. 10 in the state by the Mid-Atlantic Sporting News entering last night's game, failed to stop Hill in the fourth quarter when he scored 10 points.
Oakland Mills had made just one of 15 shots in the third quarter and scored just three points.
"In the fourth quarter we moved Michael to the foul line and ran a double screen for him," Oakland Mills coach Dave Appleby said. "We beat a class team and showed a lot of heart by coming back."
Irving Conwell, who had 14 points and 10 rebounds, followed Hill's two threes with one of his own, and then Hill scored on a layup as Oakland Mills wiped out the 11-point deficit --tying at 53-all with four minutes to play.
Thomas Johnson's 6-foot-6 Jason Williams, who has already signed with George Mason, scored in the lane to make it 55-53. Williams scored only six points -- four at the foul line.
Some weak Thomas Johnson foul shooting and crucial turnovers down the stretch kept the Scorpions in the game.
The Patriots were 11-for-22 at the line.
Praesel, Thomas Johnson's leading scorer with a 23-point average, made only two of nine free throws and scored 18 points.
"We definitely had a chance to put the game away at the foul line," Patriots coach Tom Dickman said.
"Our shot selection was not good down the stretch, and Oakland Mills was quicker and stronger to the ball."
Oakland Mills also played good defense against 6-foot-7 Terence Morris, who was held to 12 points, below his average of 20.
Morris missed a shot inside in the closing seconds.
Thomas Johnson took the final shot at the buzzer, a three-point attempt by Tory Sadler that could have won it, but it hit the backboard and missed the rim, and Conwell rebounded for Oakland Mills.
In the first half, Oakland Mills shot for a poor percentage (28 percent), but its quickness enabled it to pound the offensive boards and outshoot the Patriots 42-21.
No more than five points ever separated the two teams in the first half.