Despite a couple of close calls, each of the county leaders held serve Wednesday. Centennial (9-1, 9-3) came back from a one-point deficit to knock off Mt. Hebron, 50-47, and remain alone atop the county standings.
Wilde Lake (8-2, 10-2), meanwhile, pulled away from Hammond late, 53-42, to earn its eighth straight victory, and Marriotts Ridge (8-2, 10-2) cruised past River Hill, 72-41.
All 12 county teams will be back in action on Friday before having next week off.
Around the league:
Wilde Lake 53, Hammond 42
There were times when Wilde Lake's offense stalled Wednesday, as Hammond held the Wildecats to their lowest offensive output of the season. Yet, when push came to shove, Wilde Lake came through with the plays it needed down the stretch to secure its ninth straight victory.
"On the road, in a hostile environment, the guys showed some mental toughness," Wilde Lake coach Deon Wingfield said. "We finished out the game and made our free throws tonight."
The Wildecats made six attempts from the foul line in the final minute, helping break open what was just a four-point game, 43-39, with two minutes left.
Brothers Devaughn (16 points) and Dante Garner (14 points) were the leading scorers for Wilde Lake, but Eric Handy (8 points, 11 rebounds) and Antoine Barnes (9 points) also had strong nights.
Hammond's duo of James Turner (18 points, 12 rebounds) and Brian Green (11 points, 11 rebounds) did a good job of keeping the Golden Bears' competitive after falling behind by double digits in the first 10 minutes.
The victory for Wilde Lake now sets up a chance for it to catch first-place Centennial on Friday, when the Eagles travel to face the Wildecats at 7 p.m.
"We're right where we want to be right now," Wingfield said. "From where we started (at 1-2), to now playing the No. 1 team in our gym on Friday night with a shot at first, that's all you can ask for.
WL (8-2, 10-2): Devaughn Garner 16, Dante Garner 14, Barnes 9, Handy 8, Miller 4, Mynatt 2.
Ha (5-5, 6-7): Turner 18, Green 11, Woodland 6, Echols 5, Blackwell 2.
Half: 29-24 WL.
Centennial 50, Mt. Hebron 47
The Eagles survived a physical game thanks to big nights from Keonte Potts (22 points) and Omari Ringgold (18). Diara Woodard (17 points) led the way for the Vikings.
After losing to Hammond in overtime last Friday, Centennial has rebounded with two straight wins to stay alone atop the county standings.
"At the end of the day, I'm happy with where we are," Centennial coach Chad Hollwedel said. "There are things we still need to work on, but anytime you can go to Oakland Mills and then beat a rival like Mt. Hebron … I'm not going to complain."
Centennial finished 16-22 from the foul line, while the Vikings were just 11-20.
C (9-1, 9-3): Potts 22, Ringgold 18, Goldsmith 8, Adams 2.
MH (4-6, 5-6): Gilmore 6, Shade 4, Mohilchock 2, Moses 8, Jenkins 10, Woodard 17.
Half: 24-23 MH.
Marriotts Ridge 72, River Hill 41
The Mustangs outscored the Hawks by 23 in the second half to roll to a comfortable victory. Eleven different players scored for Marriotts Ridge, led by Robert Davis' 13-point night.
MR (8-2, 10-2): Davis 13, Tucker 12, Durham 10, Harrison 8, Patel 7, Menker 5, Brown 4, Delaney 4, Bryant 4, Kratochwill 3, Williams 2.
RH (1-9, 1-11): Moody 15, Qiu 9, Richardson 9, Sandler 4, Ruben 4.
Half: 34-26 MR.
Long Reach 42, Howard 31
LR (5-5, 6-7): Nowlin 15, Hargrove 12, Allmond 6, Brown 6, Taylor 4, Leconte 2.
Ho (4-6, 4-8): J. Bartnik 9, K. Hawkins 6, Spalding 5, J. Hawkins 5, Wendt 4, Marsh 2.
Half: 21-14 LR.
Reservoir 54, Oakland Mills 39
Re (4-6, 5-7): Williams 10, Usher 9, Kevan 9, Booth 8, Toler 7, Reilly 7, Sponsky 2, Epps 2.
OM (3-7, 5-8): Manns 31, Dent 4, Tapscott 3, Russell 1.
Half: 28-24 Re.
Glenelg 61, Atholton 56
G (3-7, 3-10): Spurrier 18, Randle 17, Chahine 15, Oates 8, Livak 3.
A (6-4, 9-4): Stephenson 24, Fitzpatrick 10, Shapiro 9, McMahon 8, Acker 2, Martin 2, Courtney 1.
Half: 32-17 G.
Boys Latin 53, Chapelgate 52
BL: Cherry 2, C. Rees 11, Poris 1, Peacock 14, Perkins 5, Willoughby 10, M. Rees 10.
Ch (3-6, 7-9): Frierson 10, Lawrence 2, Bryant 12, Harris-Winn 9, Obi 7, Grandy 12.
Half: 27-18 BL.
St. Pauls 76, Chapelgate 38 (Tuesday)
SP: Brooks 15, Wade 2, Cabral 9, M. Davis 7, Wilson 7, Hamer 11, M. Thompson 6, Hefner 2, C. Davis 3, J. Thompson 12, Dutlarazzin 2.
Ch (3-5, 7-8): Frierson 3, Lawrence 2, Bryant 14, Harris-Winn 7, Obi 4, Grandy 6, Amobi 1, Sikka 1.
Half: 35-20 SP.