Bel Air went on a 15-3 tear during a five-minute span that carried into the first three minutes of the fourth quarter and protected most of that margin for a 70-60 victory over previously unbeaten North Harford to win the John Carroll holiday tournament last night.
John Carroll (4-6) won the consolation game, beating Sparrows Point (1-5), 71-62.
The burst pushed Bel Air (4-3) ahead of the Hawks (5-1), 55-42, with four minutes left. It got as close as 59-52, before the Bobcats restored a 10-point margin in the final 1:25.
Senior Bryan Grimm, at 6 feet 4, one of three Bobcats taller than any North Harford player, and junior Bill Greenwell dominated the fourth quarter. Grimm had five points and seven rebounds in the period, and Greenwell seven points, including a three-pointer.
Ahead 44-39 going to the last eight minutes, Bel Air helped its cause the rest of the way by hitting nine of 13 free throws.
Nick Triandafilou, who has turned into Bel Air's most dependable scorer in recent games, had 17 points, backed by Greenwell and Tom Soltis with 11 apiece.
Ryan Renfrow, one of eight juniors on a 10-player roster, had nine of North Harford's first 13 points and finished with 27. Brock Jourdan contributed 17.
Bel Air coach Bill Georg has been platooning several of his players, and he said, "They seem to take turns playing well. And, overall, I thought we played good defense."
The defense contributed to some weak North Harford shooting, and two tough games back-to-back likely took its toll on a squad that is not deep.
"We didn't run like we usually do, and we had a couple of players in early foul trouble," North Harford coach Spike Griffith said. "Bel Air did a great job on the offensive boards, too, as they exploited our lack of size. And we just got out-hustled." His tallest player is 6-2.
North Harford jumped ahead at the start and led 10-4 before Bel Air rallied to tie at 12. The Bobcats went on to open a 30-20 gap late in the second quarter, but North Harford cut it to 32-28 at the half.
There were three ties before Jay Vignola sent Bel Air ahead to stay, 40-38, on a follow-up shot with 1:40 left in the third quarter.
In the consolation game, John Carroll scored more points in the third quarter (23) than it had in the first half (22) in pulling away from Sparrows Point.
Jared Marmen and David Padrino sparked what became a 49-point second half. Marmen, a 6-8 senior, had 23 points and 25 rebounds, and Padrino, a 6-0 junior, enjoyed his best outing of the season and ended with 21 points.