The St. Frances Panthers control the opening tip, and the next order of business is routine: Get the ball in the hands of senior point guard R.J. Williams.
It's been that way the past four years, but this season, what follows is different.
Williams, a lightning-quick 5-foot-8, 150-pound burst of energy, grabs the ball and barks out instructions in a decisive tone. And for the next 32 minutes, the game belongs to him.
After following the likes of standout graduates Sean Mosely, Terrell Vinson, Dante Holmes and Wayne Sparrow, Williams, 18, has recognized that this is his time and his team.
Although he is mostly reserved off the court, his work on it speaks volumes. In leading the No. 4 Panthers to a 10-2 record, he's averaging 17 points, six assists, three steals and just three turnovers.
"I've been putting everything together from the past three years and have a lot more confidence in myself right now," said Williams, a B student who recently accepted a scholarship to play at Loyola. "It feels good. I feel like I'm important to my team and everybody is looking up to me, so I can't let them down. I'm just working hard and having fun."
With all the talent around him in the previous three years, it was easy and essential for Williams to take a more passive role. Older players were around to lead and take the big shot. Covering the stretch, the Panthers went a combined 85-23 with two championships each in the Baltimore Catholic League and Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference.
Over the same years, St. Frances coach Mark Karcher has methodically pushed and prodded Williams to prepare for the time he would become the team's leader.
An early-season practice showed Karcher that he succeeded.
When the Panthers took a lazy approach to a drill, he made them run. He was pleasantly surprised what happened next.
"R.J. came out of nowhere and addressed the team about it," Karcher said. "He told them the importance of getting things done right. He really set the tone."
It's no different during games, where Williams' maturity and efficiency have grown considerably. Aside from senior center Greg Lewis, another four-year varsity player who is set to play at Rutgers, the Panthers are largely inexperienced. But they have proved to be up to the challenge with selfless team ball that starts with Williams.
He controls the pace of the game, gets teammates the ball at opportune times and scores by forcefully driving to the basket or pulling up for jumpers. His 17 points per game are eight more than last year's average.
"R.J. is playing at his speed, and the game runs through him," Karcher said. "When he wants to walk the ball up, he does. When he wants to play fast, he makes the game fast. That's when you know you're dictating the game."
Lewis, who averages 15 points and eight rebounds, has been impressed with the intensity and energy Williams constantly brings to the floor.
"R.J. makes the game so much easier for us," Lewis said. "He's distributing the ball so well, and now he's starting to score a lot more, so it's making teams think hard on how to play us. I'm having fun out there watching him pick apart defenses."
Williams hasn't been picky about which teams to pick apart. With three new starters in the lineup, many believed the Panthers would improve as the season progressed. Williams had them ready to play at a high level from the start.
On Dec. 18, Williams scored a game-high 26 points as the Panthers temporarily took over the area's No. 1 ranking with a 78-68 statement win over then-No. 1 City. In a showdown against MIAA rival and No. 3 Mount St. Joseph on Jan. 4, Williams scored the game's last eight points in the final minute of a 50-43 win to finish with 20. On Sunday, he took over a close game against Calvert Hall, scoring 20 points and dishing out 13 assists for a 74-57 win.
"I wouldn't say he's really a point guard this year. I'd say he's more of a 'points' guard because he's also going to score his points," Mount St. Joseph coach Pat Clatchey said. "He's quick, changes directions and can pull up or get to the lane. He's experienced, been through the wars. … He clearly was the difference in the game."
Williams was 7 years old and living in the Bronx when his older brother, Jamel Williams, was the first to put a basketball in his hands. With it came positive words that have stayed with him.
"I told him about the importance of having values, working hard, being dedicated and disciplined," said Jamel, 34, who now owns a real estate business in the area and is in the stands for all his younger brother's games. "I think he's executed all those things very well to this point to get to where he is in life."