Wilde Lake learned a tough lesson Monday about the importance of finishing out games.
The good news is it didn't take a loss to learn it.
After watching visiting Marriotts Ridge trim a 12-point deficit with 1:12 left down to three, the Wildecats came through with a defensive stop as time expired to hold on for a 56-53 victory. It was Wilde Lake's eighth straight win and moved it into a tie for second place with Marriotts Ridge at 7-2 in league play.
"We became complacent … we felt as though the game was already won. You can't do that if you want to be a great team," said Wilde Lake coach Deon Wingfield. "That said, if you're going to learn a lesson like that it's great to do it in a win.
"We still gutted it out, it's just frustrating we even were in that spot."
Wilde Lake (7-2, 9-2) actually seemed like it was going to put Marriotts Ridge away early in the first quarter. Behind Eric Handy (14 points) and Anthony Miller (10), the Wildecats opened the game on a 17-4 run.
Things got only slightly better in the second quarter for the Mustangs, as they trailed by 11, 29-18, going into halftime.
Usually one of the county's top 3-point shooting teams, Marriotts Ridge made just two threes in the first half while shooting under 15 percent from behind the arc.
"We've relied on our outside shooting and today it caught up to us," Marriotts Ridge coach Mike Coughlan said. "The shots were definitely not falling in that first half."
The tide seemed to change at the beginning of the third quarter, with the Mustangs' Arjun Patel (10 points) hitting a pair of threes and the inside duo of D.J. Tucker (14 points and 16 rebounds) and Sean Harrison converting a trio of lay-ups as part of a 14-2 run.
In a matter of three minutes, Marriotts Ridge had grabbed its first lead of the game, 32-31.
But just as the Mustangs seemed to get a hold of the momentum, Wilde Lake snatched it right back. Brothers Dante (12 points) and Devaughn Garner (12), who had combined for just five points in the first half, began taking over.
The Wildecats' duo scored 19 of their team's next 24 points to help turn a one-point deficit into a 13-point lead.
"We know that we're supposed to be the star players on the team, so it was up to us to start being more aggressive," Dante Garner said. "When the game got close, we wanted the ball in our hands."
And while the Wilde Lake offense got going, its defense stepped up as well. Between the last minute of the third quarter and the first six minutes of the fourth, Marriotts Ridge managed just two points.
"I give our defense credit, we made their shooters uncomfortable and made sure when they got shots, they were tough ones," Wingfield said.
With just over 70 seconds left in regulation, Wilde Lake had a 55-43 lead. That, however, is when things started to unravel.
Robert Davis (11 points) hit a three and a pair of lay-ups, in a 40-second span, to make it a five-point game. Then, after Handy hit one of two from the foul line, B.J. Durham came down and hit a three to pull Marriotts Ridge within three, 56-53, with eight seconds left.
"It was like we put our guard down. We didn't do the things we were supposed to do, like take care of the ball and make foul shots," Wingfield said.
After another two missed free throws by the Wildecats, Marriotts Ridge had a chance to tie. Patel's contested three from the left corner, however, was just long as the buzzer sounded.
The Mustangs, who saw their own seven-game winning streak snapped, were left thinking about what might have been.
"A three-point game is one or two possessions," Coughlan said. "That's two offensive rebounds, two loose balls, two balls that got taken from us … they won all those battles tonight. In the end, that's what cost us."
Wilde Lake 56, Marriotts Ridge 53
WL (7-2, 9-2): Handy 14, Dante Garner 12, Devaughn Garner 12, Miller 10, Barnes 6, Parris 2.
MR (7-2, 9-2): Tucker 14, Davis 11, Patel 10, Durham 10, Harrison 6, Willsey 2.
Half: 29-18 WL.
Other games:
Centennial 71, Oakland Mills 55
C (8-1, 8-3): Potts 29, Ringgold 12, Goldsmith 11, Tinuoye 9, Eads 6, Adams 4.
OM (3-6, 5-7): Manns 23, N. Zayatz 9, Dent 6, Madden-Stricker 6, Russell 5, Tapscott 3, Bradley 2, Lee 1.
Half: 44-24 C.
Atholton 53, Reservoir 45
A (6-3, 9-3): Stephenson 23, Fitzpatrick 12, McMahon 8, Acker 4, Courtney 2, Haas 2, Martin 2.
Re (3-6, 4-7): Williams 10, Booth 8, Usher 8, Epps 6, Christian 4, Toler 4, Kevan 3, Jackson 2.
Half: 20-18 A.
Long Reach 52, Mt. Hebron 45
LR (4-5, 5-7): Nowlin 13, Brown 12, Allmond 8, Hargrove 5, Fisk 4, Taylor 4, Betters 2, Leconte 2, Nwankwo 2.
MH (4-5, 5-5): Moses 17, Gilmore 14, Mohilchock 6, Jenkins 3, Dohner 2, Shade 2, Huber 1.
Half: 25-22 LR.
Hammond 57, River Hill 51
Ha (5-4, 6-6): Green 29, Echols 10, Turner 10, Blackwell 4, Woodland 4.
RH (1-8, 1-10): Thomas 21, Moody 13, Ruben 5, Sandler 5, Richardson 4, Check 3.
Half: 27-23 Ha.
Howard 66, Glenelg 58
Ho (4-5, 4-7): J. Bartnik 19, J. Hawkins 15, K. Hawkins 14, Spalding 6, Alexander 5, D. Bartnik 4, Marsh 3.
G (2-7, 2-10): Spurrier 19, Randle 12, Chahine 8, Oates 7, Tolbert 6, Hammert 2, Mirano 2, Dubbe 2.
Half: 39-28 Ho.
Glenelg Country 63, Calvert Hall 53 (Sunday)
GC (3-4, 8-7): Boyd 14, Powers 13, Moune 13, Jones 11, Jove-Vives 10, Barnard 2.
CH: Beck 25, Richardson 14, Mayberry 6, McVan 4, Edwards 2, Davis 2.
Half: 29-29.
Greater Grace 59, Chapelgate 50 (Saturday)
GG: Hadley 11, Hassler 2, Greenwald 2, Iten 2, Schaller 17, Alderson 25.
Ch (3-4, 7-7): Frierson 8, Bryant 4, Harris-Winn 13, Grandy 16, Rolewicz 9.
Half: 25-17 GG.