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Girls basketball: Press helps River Hill defeat Mt. Hebron, 53-35

Mt. Hebron's Talhia Tavai, right, blocks a shot by River Hill's Vicki Rowe during Saturday's annual Hall of Fame basketball game. River Hill won, 53-35.
Mt. Hebron's Talhia Tavai, right, blocks a shot by River Hill's Vicki Rowe during Saturday's annual Hall of Fame basketball game. River Hill won, 53-35. (Photo by Nate Pesce, Patuxent Publishing)

Earlier this season, with River Hill playing mainly zone defense, Mt. Hebron nearly upset the Hawks before losing by two points.

Saturday night, however, River Hill racheted up the tempo with a full court press and host Mt. Hebron failed to handle it, as the quicker Hawks rolled to a lopsided 53-35 girls basketball victory in the annual Hall of Fame game.

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The contest featured two physically aggressive teams, but a bigger, stronger River Hill (15-3; 13-2 ) team won out in that aspect also.

"My point guard played the second half with one eye swollen shut and my center had a lump on her forehead from elbows," said Vikings coach Tony Bell. "They ran through our screens and our girls got laid out on the floor. But I take my hat off to River Hill. They got away with it. They didn't make many mistakes and were well prepared."

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River Hill's most tenacious defender, sophomore Jenna Collins, usually guards the opponent's best offensive player, and she was especially tough Saturday.

"This is a big rivalry and we were psyched," said Collins. "This was a battle and we played a more aggressive defense tonight. We came together as a team. We're hoping to run through the playoffs and win a state title."

River Hill coach Teresa Waters emphasized how young her team is, and said they won't play zone again after seeing the effectiveness of her team's press against Mt. Hebron (10-8; 8-7).

"I was pleased with the execution, but we still have work to do," she said. "We're still young and trying to find our niche."

River Hill's offense was especially in synch against the Vikings. Center Alauna Jackson acted as the catalyst on the high post, either kicking the ball back out, adeptly finding a cutter or driving to the basket herself.

"We definitely like to get her the ball and she finishes," said Collins.

Mt. Hebron center Talhia Tavia played an outstanding game against her opponent and held Jackson to six points. Tavia was outstanding on the defensive boards, an area in which the Vikings were weak in the previous game against River Hill.

"We didn't handle their press and rushed everything," said Bell. "We made 30 turnovers and a lot of them were on bad passes. River Hill is quick and played the passing lanes well. We just didn't run a lot of offense. We were a second behind. I wanted a half court tempo but their press changed that. We're both in the same region and we're hoping to meet them again."

River Hill, which never trailed, had three players reach double figures in scoring including Megan Sterling (14 points), Jenna Collins (10) and Julia Collins (10). Only Tianna Wallpher hit double figures (10 points) for the Vikings.

The Hawks led, 4-2, early but then ran off eight straight points for a 12-2 lead. It was 16-8 after one quarter and River Hill had scored on five layups.

River Hill 53, Mt. Hebron 35

RH - Sterling 14, Ju. Collins 10, Je. Collins 10, Jackson 6, Rowe 2, Masters 4, Arensmeier 6, Jones 1. FT: 7-13.

MH – Wallpher 10, Jones 8, Thomas 5, Crump 4, Doherty 4, Kelliher 2, Rochester 2. FT: 7-19.

County standings (as of Feb. 4)

Glenelg, 14-1

River Hill, 13-2

Oakland Mills, 12-3

Howard, 11-4

Long Reach, 9-6

Reservoir, 9-6

Mt. Hebron, 8-7

Centennial, 6-9

Marriotts Ridge, 5-10

Atholton, 2-13

Hammond, 1-14

Wilde Lake, 0-15

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