Atholton girls basketball speeds up the pace to beat Mt. Hebron, 49-32, for sixth straight win
Feb. 9—Atholton girls basketball is at its best when it plays fast with intensity.
The Raiders set the tone early Wednesday against Mt. Hebron with a 2-2-1 backcourt trap using athletic guards Keagan Williams and Kendi Caldwell at the top. That tenacious defense built an 11-point lead after one quarter and the Raiders went on to post a 49-32 victory.
The win is Atholton's sixth straight and avenges a 49-35 loss to the Vikings earlier in the season.
"I think it has just been a total team effort throughout the whole season," Atholton coach Julia Reynold said of the winning streak. "At the start of the season we had lots of people go down with different injuries. So, we had lots of people who were getting varsity experience and able to play. Now as the team is coming back, we are continuing to have different people come in and contribute. Whether it's 30 seconds or 16 minutes, they're able to perform at the best level.
"Now we're working on building that team chemistry as we are headed into the end of the season with playoffs coming."
After Mt. Hebron scored on its opening possession, the Raiders (12-7, 10-6 Howard County) allowed just four points the remainder of the period. Atholton sped up the Vikings guards, leading to turnovers and quick transition opportunities. Williams was the main beneficiary of that fast-paced style with all eight of her points in the opening frame.
"Playing with pace and fast breaks are our whole thing," sophomore guard Julianna Blair said. "If we can keep the energy up, the game will go well. We just have to stay in it mentally."
However, Mt. Hebron, who was playing without one of its top scores, Rae Vidal who was out sick, found more success breaking the Raiders' press in the second quarter. Pearl Prasartkarnka and Iva Damyanova led the offense as it slowly chipped away at the lead. The Vikings got within 10 at halftime.
Mt. Hebron's Kaitlyn Magdar drilled a 3-pointer from straight on, bringing the Vikings within seven early in the third. Atholton responded with baskets from Samara Mims, Blair and Chloe Coughlan to push the lead back to 13.
Magdar scored to bring the Vikings within 11, but Mims and Blair once again responded. Off a missed shot, Blair corralled the long rebound and found Mims in the post for a 3-point play, a common theme throughout as she finished with a game-high 17 points.
"Just communicating and really talking to my teammates," Mims said. "Making sure they know to pass the ball around because we had time since the shot clock wasn't working. Passing the ball around and finding those openings."
Leen Jawhar did her best to keep Mt. Hebron within striking distance, scoring the Vikings final seven points of the period to get within 11 after three quarters. But similar to the first quarter, Mt. Hebron's offense sputtered in the final eight minutes. The Vikings went more than six minutes without a point, as Atholton scored seven straight, ballooning the lead to 18 in the final two minutes.
"I do feel like today it was a little bit defensively that we just didn't play as well," Mt. Hebron coach Tierney Ahearn said. "We missed Rae of course, she's fantastic, but every kid that was on the floor can play defense and it just felt like we didn't do a great job."
