Howard has done it again.
With a 59-39 victory at Oakland Mills last night, the No. 15 Lions swept their last five games to secure a berth in the regional playoffs. Losing just one could have ended the Lions' bid to defend their Class 3A regional and state crowns.
Along the way, the Lions beat three ranked teams -- Glenelg, Centennial and Wilde Lake. But none of them worried coach Craig O'Connell as much as Oakland Mills.
Even though the Scorpions had only four wins, they had plenty of height and Howard had lost its tallest player, 5-foot-11 starting forward Megan Boehm, who left the team last week to play soccer.
"I give them all the credit in the world, because they knew what they had to do and they did it," said O'Connell. "Without Megan, they could have easily said this isn't any fun anymore or some other excuse, but they didn't. I love that in kids."
The Lions (14-8 overall, 9-5 league) also have faced a ton of foul trouble, and staying out of it proved crucial to last night's victory.
O'Connell planned to play a tight zone in the first half to keep the Lions out of foul trouble. Then he would try to bury Oakland Mills with man-to-man pressure.
The strategy worked perfectly. Even though the Scorpions dominated the boards, 26-15, and 6-1 Lauren McHargue and 6-0 Kena Hodges combined for 16 first-half rebounds, the Lions still took a 24-23 lead into the second half.
The Scorpions (4-14, 2-12) stayed within three for almost four minutes and then Howard broke away.
The Lions went on a 10-point run and outscored Oakland Mills, 25-4, in 8 1/2 minutes. A 15-footer by Rebecca Powell (10 points, seven steals, five assists) gave the Lions a 57-33 lead with three minutes to go.
Mona Jackson (seven steals, 12 rebounds) scored 14 of her 27 points in the run.
"When we change our pressure to man-to-man that usually works," said sophomore forward Chanelle Carter. "That took us to the [state] championship last year. Third and fourth quarter, that's what brought us back [last night]."
That Lions' press forced 20 turnovers and held Oakland Mills to 16 second-half points. It kept the Scorpions from getting the ball inside to McHargue (14 points), who had only six in the second half, and Hodges, who was shut out in the half.
The Scorpions took their best run at the Lions in the second quarter. After Howard rolled up a 14-4 lead, the Scorpions went on a 15-4 run. Hodges hit a follow shot to give the Scorpions their first lead of the game, 19-18, late in the quarter.
Oakland Mills had two more leads as the teams traded points to the end of the half. But Powell pulled up to bank in an eight-foot buzzer-beater and Howard never again trailed.