For the second consecutive season Atholton will at least share a piece of the county basketball title. The 11th-ranked Raiders clinched a tie atop the standings by holding off host Howard, 94-90.
Atholton, who had four starters scoring in double figures by halftime and shot 70 percent from the field, was led by senior guard Brian Benden's 27 points and senior forward Varian Harvey's 23.
A win at Mount Hebron tomorrow night would give Atholton (20-1, 12-1) its first outright county crown since the 1984-85 Raiders went 14-0 in the county. Atholton, hoping to maintain its school-record winning percentage (.952), shared the title last year with Mount Hebron.
Atholton's frenzied victory over the Lions (9-11, 6-7) went from being a ho-hum cakewalk to a defensive nightmare late in the second half. Not until reserve senior guard Ryan Rees' two foul shots with 2.8 seconds left did the Raiders secure the game.
"Howard just made a great effort there at the end and I take a lot of responsibility for us at the end of the game by putting pressure on kids not used to being in that situation," said Atholton coach Jim Albert.
Howard, trailing 75-56 going into the fourth quarter, pulled to within 92-90 on a layup by junior forward James Dulaney with 12 seconds left. Lions junior forward Mike Green stole the inbounds pass, but freshman Chris Smith's off-balance jumper ricocheted off the rim and out of bounds.
"We just decided we had to play hard and have confidence in our threes, which are easier to hit when you are trying to come from so far back," said Howard senior guard Dalawn Parrish, who made three of the Lions' five fourth-quarter three-pointers.
Atholton had built a 25-point lead by late in the third quarter, but had to withstand Howard's senior tandem of Parrish (27 points) and forward Corey Curtis (26). Parrish scored six of his points in the final 30 seconds of the third quarter and 16 of Howard's 34 fourth-quarter points.
"We just got too far behind. Benden hit four three-pointers in the first quarter and their whole team was on fire," Parrish said.
Atholton's 30-point first quarter was the result of torrid shooting by Benden (11 points) and Chiles (10 points), as the Raiders made 11 of their first 13 attempts and shot 67 percent for a 30-20 lead.
Atholton's lead mushroomed in the second quarter as Harvey added 10 points. The Raiders headed into intermission with a 52-38 lead after Rees hit a three-pointer at the buzzer.