Reservoir's offense struggled to get going for the third straight game Monday, making under a third of its shots from the floor and barely reaching 40 points.
However, thanks to a tremendous effort on the defensive end, for the third straight game the offensive issues didn't matter.
Five guys scored five points or more and the Gators held on for a 43-38 victory over Frederick. It was Reservoir's third consecutive win and the second straight time holding its opposition in the 30s.
"We gave up some offensive rebounds in our zone, didn't make a ton of shots on our end, but when it came down to it the guys scrapped and found a way to do it defensively," Reservoir coach Ryan Carson said.
Reservoir (7-8, 9-9) had at least a share of the lead the entire first half after opening the game with four straight points. By the end of the first quarter it was 15-10 and at the half it was 25-19.
After Terrance Epps (8 points) made a lay-up early in the third quarter, giving the Gators their largest lead of the game 27-19, it appeared Reservoir was ready to pull away.
But, led by Nigel Fender (19 points), Frederick fought its way back. An 11-2 run to close the quarter gave Frederick its first lead of the night, 30-29.
The fourth quarter was back-and-forth for the first few minutes, before Reservoir began force-feeding the ball down low. Over the final four minutes, post players Matt Christian and Joey Usher (7 points, 9 rebounds) combined for seven of the Gators' last nine points.
"We saw some match-ups inside that we could take advantage of," Carson said. "We missed a couple shots down low, but we kept going to them and eventually a few went in."
With the interior game finding its stride, Reservoir closed with the game's final five points to pull out the win.
In addition to increasing their win streak, Monday's result also got the Gators back to .500 for the first time since December.
"I feel good about what we've done since the (exam) break. For us, I think having that week off was a refreshing moment," said Carson, whose team has won four of its five since the break. "It seems like the guys are starting to come together at the right time and we're learning how to win the close ones."
Reservoir 43, Frederick 38
Re (7-8, 9-9): Epps 8, Usher 7, Booth 7, Toler 6, Jackson 5, Christian 4, Kevan 3, Reilly 3.
F (8-11): Fender 19, Taylor 7, Sanders 6, Slaton 2, Corbitt 2, Townsend 2.
Half: 25-19 Re.