It wasn't pretty, but with Centennial looking to wrap up its first county championship since 2004-05 coach Chad Hollwedel wasn't all that concerned with style points.
In a season where upsets have run rampant, including Glenelg (6-12) knocking off Marriotts Ridge (13-5) last week, all Hollwedel wanted Tuesday night against Howard was that notch in the win column.
"This past week, we've had a couple games now where (below .500) teams are really coming after us and I think that's great for us in the long run," said Hollwedel while clutching the county championship trophy following a 60-51 victory over the Lions. "The county is a lot deeper than I think people give it credit for … so it says a lot about the kids that we've been able to stay so consistent.
"We're learning and getting better, while still winning games. And at the end of the day that's the most important thing."
It was fitting that on a night when Centennial (16-2, 17-4) not only clinched the county title but also honored its seniors, it was a trio of those upperclassmen that led the Eagles to victory.
In their final home game of the regular season, Keonte Potts (21 points), Ethan Adams (12) and Ben Goldsmith (10) accounted for over 70 percent of the team's scoring.
"All of us seniors, in the locker room before the game, we said 'this is our night,' " Potts said. "Senior night, county title on the line, it was up to us to lead us to a win."
After a slow start, one which saw Howard grab a 20-14 lead, it was indeed the Eagles' seniors that stepped to lead the comeback charge.
It started with defense, as Centennial held Howard scoreless for four straight minutes in the second quarter, and the offense did the rest on what ended up being a momentum-changing 13-0 run.
"Looking at the difference between the first quarter and second quarter, that's sort of been our season in a lot of ways," Hollwedel said. "When we turn things up defensively, we're a completely different team."
Centennial ended up going into halftime up 31-25 and then used another 13-0 surge at the beginning of the third quarter to really stretch things out, 44-25.
Of the 33 points the Eagles scored between the second and third quarters, all but four of them came from seniors.
The production from Adams coming off the bench was particularly crucial, considering the senior captain was in his first game back from injury and hadn't reached double figures scoring in a game all year.
"It was great for Ethan on senior night to have his best game of the season in what essentially was the county championship game," Hollwedel said. "He gave us great energy off the bench tonight and was really, I thought, the difference in the game."
Howard (5-13, 5-16) did make things interesting down the stretch, chipping the Eagle lead all the way down to five points with a minute left in the fourth quarter. Ultimately, however, there just wasn't enough time to complete the comeback.
Colin Dyer (16 points) and Mike Alexander (10) ended up leading the way for the Lions in the loss.
Centennial 60, Howard 51
C (16-2, 17-4): Potts 21, Adams 12, Goldsmith 10, Ringgold 4, Eads 4, Tinuoye 4, Fletcher 3, Klima 2.
Ho (5-13, 5-16): Dyer 16, Alexander 10, Wendt 8, J. Hawkins 8, J. Bartnik 6, D. Bartnik 2, K. Hawkins 1.
Half: 31-25 C.
Other scores:
Atholton 63, Mt. Hebron 45
A (10-8, 13-8): Bernetti 2, Stephenson 36, Acker 6, Shapiro 5, Haas 4, Burmester 5, Florenzo 3, McMahon 2.
MH (8-10, 9-10): Gilmore 21, Shade 5, Mohilchock 7, Glaze 2, Woodard 4, Jenkins 4.
Half: 33-22 A.
Hammond 65, Marriotts Ridge 54
Ha (8-10, 9-12): Turner 27, Green 23, Echols 8, Poston 3, Blackwell 2, Hendrick 2.
MR (13-5, 16-5): Tucker 22, Davis 12, Patel 11, Durham 5, Harrison 4.
Half: 24-23 MR.
Long Reach 53, Oakland Mills 48
LR (11-7, 12-9): Taylor 15, Nowlin 12, Hargrove 10, Leconte 9, Allmond 7.
OM (6-12, 8-13): Manns 17, Tapscott 8, N. Zayatz 8, Bradley 8, Lee 6, Huewe 2, Dent 1.
Half: 27-24 LR.
Reservoir 41, River Hill 37
Re (9-9, 11-10): Christian 10, Jackson 9, Williams 6, Toler 5, Epps 4, Kevan 3, Usher 2, Booth 2.
RH (3-15, 3-18): Thomas 17, Moody 8, Ruben 6, Sandler 3, Jimenez 3.
Half: 21-18 Re.
Wilde Lake 66, Glenelg 55
WL (13-5, 16-5): Dante Garner 19, Handy 12, Mynatt 10, Barnes 9, Devaughn Garner 9, Parris 4, Williams 2, McNeel 1.
G (6-12, 6-15): Spurrier 24, Randle 15, Livak 4, Hammert 3, Oates 3, Chahine 2, Grimes 2, Mirano 2.
Half: 31-20 WL.