As the final seconds were counting down in Severna Park's 18-point win over Old Mill last Friday, a chant rose from within the throng of jubilant Falcon supporters.
"We want Arundel," they yelled.
Be careful what you ask for.
Though they shot 19 percent from the field and relied mainly on two players, the eighth-ranked Wildcats took over sole possession of first place in the county 4A League yesterday by edging No. 4 Severna Park, 35-33, in Gambrills.
Jen Mottar and Chavonne Hammond scored 17 and 16 points, respectively, for the Wildcats (19-0, 11-0), who close the regular season Feb. 24 at Severna Park. The only other Arundel player with a field goal was Marcia Lavin (two points).
Hammond also had nine rebounds, four blocks, five steals and two assists. Mottar had 13 rebounds and six steals.
Jen Holmes led the Falcons (17-2, 10-1) with 15 points, 27 rebounds and four blocks. She also made three steals.
Arundel took a 29-27 lead on two free throws by Hammond with 5:54 left. Severna Park committed six turnovers after that, but twice got within one point.
The Falcons missed three shots on one possession, and Mottar made a steal with 32 seconds left. Hammond sank two free throws for a 33-30 lead, and Mottar made two more with 20 seconds remaining after rebounding a missed three-pointer by Sandy Jenkin.
Alli Adams buried a three-pointer to get Severna Park within two, and Ashley Evans made a steal beyond half-court with one second left, but time expired before the Falcons could get off another shot.
Both teams were held to season-lows in scoring, but only one came away happy.
"They're really good and I'm just glad we beat them. It was a tough game," Mottar said.
Coming off a 24-point outing against Old Mill, Severna Park junior Angela DeSalvo hardly touched the ball against Arundel's trapping defense until midway through the second quarter. And she became a nonfactor again in the second half, finishing with six points -- 12 below her county-leading average.
"We did a good job on her but we didn't concentrate on her," said Arundel coach Lee Rogers, whose team shot 13-of-69 from the field and 9-of-20 from the line. "That's just the way our defense is focused. We just try to play tough and do a good job with it. And it works."
The first quarter ended 10-10. Arundel took a 14-10 lead on two baskets by Hammond, but the Falcons scored the last eight points in a span of 4:30. DeSalvo put them ahead, 16-14 with a three-pointer, and Lisa Davis hit from the baseline with 55 seconds left.
Holmes' presence in the lane had much to do with Arundel's difficulties. The 6-2 junior grabbed 15 rebounds in the first half and caused the Wildcats to alter many of their shots. And with no one else stepping up offensively, she also became the Falcons' only scoring threat.
"This is the second time we didn't have anything but Jen," said Severna Park coach Kevin McGrath, whose team had won 11 in a row since a nine-point loss to Hammond in December. "It happened once before against Annapolis and we got lucky, but we came up a little bit short this time.
"They changed their defenses, and in the process, they did a good job disguising what they were in. We don't contemplate getting it to one kid. We take what's available."
There were five lead changes in the second half before Hammond's free throws.
"It was a battle of wills," Rogers said. "We just did the right things at the right time."
Said McGrath, whose team committed 26 turnovers: "Right now, my girls are taking it the way I'd like them to take it, they're upset. If they weren't upset, we'd have a problem. But they know they're better than what they showed tonight."