Senior Romas Krywonis had 28 points and 17 rebounds, and sophomore Scott Headd's 17 points included five three-pointers, as unranked Dulaney overcame a 10-point halftime deficit to shock No. 7 Mervo, 61-58, in overtime of a Class 4A North Region quarterfinal last night at Dulaney.

The Lions (15-8) next will play No. 6 Southern (15-5) at 5 p.m. tomorrow at Dunbar.

Everett Walker (17 points), All-Metro Marcus Hatten (15) and Kevin Taylor (10) led Mervo (18-6), last year's region champion and a state semifinalist.

Hatten (6 feet 3) single-handedly outscored the hosts 6-2 for a 39-34 lead entering the fourth quarter but did not score again until making three overtime free throws. His three-point attempt at the buzzer ending overtime glanced off the rim.

"We played zone early but switched to man-to-man," said the Lions' 6-2 Steve Will, who shadowed Hatten.

"He still got his shots. He's a great player."

Down 48-43 with 55 seconds left in regulation, Krywonis converted a spinning layup with a defender on him, then snagged a defensive rebound that led to Headd's game-tying three-pointer with 37.7 seconds left.

But with 6.8 seconds left, Krywonis dropped an inbounds pass over the baseline, squandering a chance to prevent overtime. "I lost focus, but we dug deep, came back and won the game," Krywonis said.

Mervo nearly ended the game in regulation also but officials ruled that Walker's layup off a pass from Hatten didn't beat the buzzer.

"I thought the game was over, but the officials saw differently," Hatten said.

After picking up his fourth foul with 3: 22 left in overtime, Krywonis (6-8) scored five points, including a free throw for a 52-51 lead with 1: 53 to play.

Dulaney never trailed again.

Mervo's Solomon Hassan was attempting a three-pointer when Krywonis fouled him -- and fouled out -- with 30.2 seconds left. Hassan made all three free throws to come within 58-57.

Hatten made one of two free throws to bring Mervo within 59-58, but Headd made two more free throws for the winning margin. "This was about what was in our hearts. We knew we were good enough," Headd said.

Down 33-23 at the half, Dulaney used a 9-0 run to close the gap, ending with a short jumper by Nathan Hopkins (five points, six rebounds).

Mervo came out fast, using its transition game to turn a 4-4 tie into a 14-4 lead. Dulaney trailed 18-9 after one period and 33-23 at the half. Mervo's Djuan Sheppard scored seven of his nine points in the second quarter.

"We knew it wouldn't be an easy game," Hatten said. "They showed they can compete with any team in the city."

Pub Date: 3/02/99