After a back and forth game full of lead changes and clutch shots by both teams, the Raiders' Blake James sank a lay-up as time expired in overtime to lift Atholton to a two-point victory over the visiting Lightning on opening night.
James finished with eight points on the evening and was joined by four other Raider players —Brandon Willis (11), Cole Mason (9), Casey Kelly (7) and Noah Mendelsohn (7) — with seven or more points.
"I'm extremely proud of all of them," Atholton coach Jared Albert said. "It's not easy, especially this early, to be in an overtime game like that and be able to stay composed like they did."
Albert had especially high praise for Mason, who sank four big foul shots in overtime and finished 9-10 from the foul line on the game. He also secured several big rebounds and steals in clutch situations. "He made big play after big play … as far as I'm concerned, he was our MVP tonight," Albert said.
Long Reach was led by Terrell Lamar (15 points) and Kevin Duckett (10) in the loss. Duckett was responsible for hitting a big three at the end of regulation that tied the game at 43 and forced overtime. Later, David Clark delivered a big three of his own that tied the game at 49 with just under 20 seconds left in overtime.
But Atholton called timeout, set up a play and ended up finding James for a basket that sent the Raider crowd spilling onto the floor in celebration.
Marriotts Ridge 55, Howard 54
Reservoir 74, Hammond 54
John Carroll 58, Glenelg Country 41
Chapelgate 79, Friends 76
Bullis 81, Chapelgate 70 (Wednesday)
B: Wright 22, Bell 20, Walker 16, Gear 12, David 8, Baumgardner 3.
CCA (1-0, 3-3): Grandy 24, Frierson 21, Madden 11, Hughes 9, Mitchell 3, Ball 2.
Half: 39-33 CCA.
Chapelgate 86, St. John's 84 OT (Monday)
CCA (1-0, 3-2): Grandy 34, Frierson 32, Madden 9, Mitchell 7, Ball 2, Hughes 2.
SJ (0-1, 0-3): Gairey 34, Ryan 16, Boyd 13, Corant 12, Terrell 7, Matthew 2.
Mount St. Joseph 68, Glenelg Country 53 (Monday)
MSJ: Kendall 15, Jackson 13, Miller 10, Robinson 8, Wilson 8, Barnes 4, Doles 4, Morsell 2, Smith 2, Dennin 2.
GC (0-1, 1-1): Longpre 17, Williams 15, Burnett 7, Hightower 6, Bernetti 3, Walsh 3, Wilson 2.
Half: 32-25 MSJ.