Towson's girls basketball team has it all -- size, depth and loads of experience.
Last night, the 12th-ranked Generals (13-0, 13-0) proved they had heart, winning a back-and-fourth game at No. 18 Loch Raven (12-3, 11-2), 60-57.
Towson was led by seniors Kerry Koch and Nicki Ramer, both of whom scored 16 points. Loch Raven's Kelly Powell had 19 points.
The win puts Towson firmly in the driver's seat in the Baltimore County 1A-2A league race. The Generals have now beaten the second-place team in the league (Loch Raven) twice, and the third-place team (Catonsville) twice.
The game was a new experience for Towson, which has not had to play from behind very much this season.
"It was good for us," said Ramer. "We need to know what it feels like to come from behind. It was nerve-racking, but I think it made us a better team."
After the Raiders tied the game at 52 with 2:34 left, Towson responded by hitting seven of 10 free throws.
"It felt like we pulled together tonight," said Ramer, who doubled her average last night. "We came though when it got tough."
Trailing 28-22 at halftime, the Raiders scored the first 10 points of the second half to take a 32-28 lead midway through the third quarter.
The Generals rallied again to take a four-point lead, but Maura Lyng's three-pointer as time expired gave Loch Raven a 41-40 lead after the third quarter.
Towson took another six-point lead midway through the third quarter, but Powell's jumper with 2:34 left tied the game at 52.
Then the Raiders tried to deny the Generals their inside game, and began to foul.
"That was the difference in the game," said Loch Raven coach Ken Witts of the free throws. "I thought we did a good job on [Katie Walker and Koch], but their other players stepped forward."
With a commanding lead in the league and a relatively easy schedule remaining, it would appear Towson could rest a little. Not so, says Koch.
"We're not done. We need to tune up for the county championship and the regionals," she said. "Our goal is to improve upon last year, and we need to continue to get better."
Witts said he was pleased with his team, which lost to the Generals by 14 in the first game of the year.
"It could have gone either way," he said. "Hopefully, we'll get another shot at them in the regionals."