Kevin Showe's performance Monday night at Oakland Mills represented the most dramatic ending to a county boys basketball game so far this season -- and one of the most dramatic in Wilde Lake history.
The Wildecats' 6-foot junior guard tied the score at 54 with a three-pointer with one second left in regulation.
Then, his 30-foot buzzer-beater earned Wilde Lake a 67-65 overtime victory.
"I wasn't sure it was going in," Showe said of the second shot. "It hit the back of the rim, bounced up once, looked like it was coming out, but rolled back in."
Showe was mobbed at half court and carried across the court.
"He has deep range," said Wildecats coach Phil Chenier. "He shot it [the game-winner] like his normal shot, but using more leg. It was no heave-ho."
Showe had a breakout 16-point effort after averaging just five points through the first three games of the season.
"I know he's an exceptional shooter," Chenier said. "We definitely got the ball into the right person's hands, and he responded. This should help him, because the first few games he's struggled."
Overall, Wilde Lake has struggled offensively, shooting 30 percent in losing its first three games to Howard, Long Reach and Atholton.
Prospects looked bleak against Oakland Mills when the Wildecats trailed by 12 points with six minutes left in the fourth quarter.
"I told them it was time to turn it on and step up the defensive pressure, and our kids stayed after it and created four or five turnovers to get back into the game," Chenier said. "Our guys also stepped up offensively and hit some big shots."
Showe was 6-for-8 from the field and 4-for-6 at the foul line.
Starting in the second half, Oakland Mills' Bryce Gaeng sank six consecutive three-point baskets to spark the Scorpions. One of those gave his team a 65-64 lead with five seconds left in overtime. Gaeng finished with 22 points.
"We missed free throws at the end and fell apart defensively," said Oakland Mills coach Dave Appleby, whose team dropped to 0-3 overall, 0-2 league. "The silver lining was that this was the best game in spots that we've played so far. We're inexperienced and should get better."
Scouting the talent
Representatives of the Maryland, UMBC, George Mason, Penn State and Fordham women's basketball programs were in attendance Monday as No. 2 River Hill defeated No. 8 Long Reach, 69-53, in Clarksville.
The most likely target of their attention was the Lightning's 5-8 junior guard, Timisha Gomez, who had 12 points and eight rebounds in a losing effort. Gomez averaged 16 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.2 steals and 2.9 assists last season, and earned accolades this past summer while playing on the Amateur Athletic Union circuit.
She was named a Street & Smith's preseason honorable-mention All-American and has been solid thus far this season. Though the focal point of opposing defenses, Gomez has averaged 14 points entering today's game against visiting Centennial.
However, she was hardly the only standout on the court Monday. Her teammate, Whitney Ward, is a junior with a soft touch who can also drive to the basket. She plays much bigger than her 5-foot-11 size, and that showed in an 18-point, eight-rebound effort against an imposing Hawks frontline.
River Hill has three senior starters who already have committed to various colleges, but not to play basketball. Megan Buescher will play soccer at North Carolina State, Allie Kupec will play volleyball at Virginia Tech and Laura Hostetler will play lacrosse at George Washington.
The Hawks do have a core of talented underclassmen that will likely attract attention. Juniors Ashley Thomas and Marche Westray are talented guards, and 6-4 sophomore Brittany Gordon continues to develop as a major post presence.
Another River Hill talent is freshman LaKeisha Eaddy, a 5-4 point guard with exceptional quickness and court sense beyond her years.
"We have her coming off the bench because she's young and she's still in the learning process," said River Hill coach Teresa Waters. "But Keisha coming in has been a blessing and we're excited about four years of her."
Surprise for Gladiators
Ciaran Lesikar, coach of fourth-ranked Glenelg girls, knew pretty much what he would get from his four returning starters. Chrissy Starcher represents a potent outside shooter for the Gladiators, Cheyenne Davidson brings a dynamic post presence, Alli Biggs is an inside-outside threat and Chela Hamilton is a stopper.
But the fifth starter, senior point guard Katie Krumpotich, has gone from the wild card of the group to being the most consistent performer during the Gladiators' 4-0 start.
"She's really stepped up this season," Lesikar said. "We're really happy with what she's done. She hustles 100 percent of the time she's on the court."
Krumpotich decided against playing soccer in the fall, and instead ran cross country to get in shape for the basketball season, Lesikar said.
It has showed. In the Gladiators' season-opening win over Centennial, Krumpotich registered 14 points and five assists. She was also in double digits in the Gladiators' 59-31 win over South Carroll last week.
Vikings tough on defense
The No. 7 Mount Hebron girls are off to a 4-0 start, which includes three wins over ranked teams. Their defense has been the catalyst -- the Vikings have yet to surrender more than 35 points in a game this season.
However, they have struggled to get balanced scoring. In the past three games, only four Vikings have contributed points.