For the first 31 minutes Wednesday night, No. 7 Atholton and Howard were about as evenly matched as two teams could be.
But after a turnaround in the paint by Kalere Caldwell with less than three minutes to play gave the Raiders a 42-41 lead, Atholton owned the final minute, finishing on a 7-0 run to earn a 47-41 home victory in girls basketball.
Raiders senior Chelsea Mitchell scored a game-high 20 points, including two free throws with 12 seconds left to put the game away.
Sage Mayhew (11) and Francesca Vanegas (7) added 18 points for the undefeated Raiders, while the Lions were led by guards Natalie Talley (13) and Jayda Gilmore (11).
"We just had to stay composed and take care of the basketball down the stretch," Atholton coach Julie Reynold said.
Howard coach Scott Robinson, whose team swept Atholton by a combined 33 points in two meetings last year, was impressed by the Raiders.
"Atholton is a great team. ... They hit some tough shots in one-on-one situations. They've got quick guards who can shoot the ball. They have good range and Kalere was a big presence in the post. They really hurt us on the boards," he said. "For 30 minutes we were right there. We did a lot of good things, we just have to learn how to finish."
Because of planned renovations to its gym, Atholton will play all 13 of its regular-season games after winter break on the road.
"That makes it a little challenging, but I think my kids are up for the challenge and hopefully it will just prepare us for later in the season," Reynold said.
No. 1 McDonogh 44, Seton Keough 31: The host Eagles (3-0) jumped out to a 15-2 lead after the first quarter and cruised past the Gators (1-3).
Lindsey Edwards scored 13 points to lead McDonogh, which went 3-for-3 on 3-pointers.
No. 10 Mount Hebron 56, River Hill 22: Gabrielle Green scored 18 points to power the visiting Vikings (3-0) past the Hawks (1-1).
Mount Hebron led 26-8 at the break.
Annapolis Area Christian School 67, Mercy 61: Taylor Murray scored a game-high 39 points and the Eagles stayed perfect at 6-0.
The Magic (1-2) trailed the whole game, but made a run in the fourth quarter.
No. 15 Mount Carmel 74, Glenelg Country School 63: The host Cougars (5-3) bounced back from Monday's 57-56 loss to No. 2 John Carroll behind the efforts of Frank Webb (17 points) and Terry Nolan (16 points).
Darryl Williams had a game-high 22 points for the Dragons (3-3), which led 35-33 at halftime.
Annapolis Area Christian School 71, Friends 67: Justin Williams scored 23 points to lead the Eagles (5-1) past the host Quakers (4-4).
AACS led 36-33 at halftime.
Boys' Latin 78, Catonsville 61: Kodye Pugh (20 points, 11 rebounds), Jaylin Andrews (17 points) and Patrick Spencer (14 points, five assists) led the Lakers (4-4) past the host Comets (1-2).
The game was tied at 41 with 12 minutes left in the game before the Lakers closed with a 17-2 run to end the third quarter.
Eric Sheppard (13 points) and Antwan Pearson (10 points, five blocks) led the Comets.
—Craig Clary
Baltimore Sun Media Group
Postponement
The Randallstown at Milford Mill boys basketball game was postponed Wednesday after police received a report that a gun was thought to be in the building and the school was placed on lockdown.
Baltimore County police deemed the report a hoax Wednesday afternoon.
The game has been rescheduled for Jan.12. A time has not been set.
—Glenn Graham
Baltimore Sun staff contributed to this article