Mt. Hebron girls defeat Marriotts Ridge, 55-42 | Howard County basketball roundup
Home for the first time this season, Mt. Hebron girls’ basketball dominated in the first half and maintained that advantage down the stretch to defeat Marriotts Ridge, 55-42, Wednesday evening.
“I and my assistant coaches, we believe that’s the best half of [Mt.] Hebron basketball I’ve ever seen being here,” coach Tierney Ahearn said in regards to the first two quarters. “Best half we’ve ever played, it was great team basketball. I thought our defense was more impressive than our offense. We always get good looks at the basket. We don’t always finish; we did that today. Our defense was exceptional. We came up with so many great defensive stops against phenomenal players.”
Led by the backcourt tandem of senior Erin Dixon and junior Rae Vidal, the Vikings built a 22-point halftime lead and maintained a double-digit throughout to clinch their second victory of the season.
Vidal scored a team-high 18 points, with 12 coming in the first half thanks to attacking the basket with consistency. Dixon complemented that aggressiveness, pushing the pace in transition to finish with 16 points of her own — also putting up 12 points before halftime.
The final 1:45 of the first half encapsulated that efficient offense and stifling defense, as the Vikings executed an 8-0 run with senior forward Audrey Harrington anchoring the paint. She finished with five blocks and that run capped off a 20-point second quarter, where the Vikings’ offense was firing on all cylinders.
“We were stagnant on both ends of the court tonight,” Marriotts Ridge coach Sarah Miller said. “Their ball movement, they were penetrating and attacking really well. They were able to be very efficient in the first half and for us it was a struggle. They play excellent defense; they don’t let a lot of stuff happen in the paint. [Harrington] is a phenomenal shot blocker.”
The Mustangs did come to life in the third quarter behind senior guard Talia Trotter. She scored the first 10 points in the frame, part of her team-high 27-point performance. Trotter was the main consistent scorer for the Mustangs, who struggled with the Vikings’ defense.
“Just play her tight and don’t have her drive,” Dixon said of the approach to defending Trotter. “That was my main goal and then if she drove, have the team help.”
While Trotter galvanized Marriotts Ridge’s offense, the Vikings struggled to score without a point in the first four minutes. Like the first half, Mt. Hebron’s offense found success when it pushed the pace and used their defense as a catalyst. After not scoring in the opening four minutes, the Vikings closed the quarter with eight points to maintain a double-digit advantage entering the final quarter.
“We have four girls that can get up and down the floor quickly,” Ahearn said. “That’s a huge benefit, so absolutely we want to push the rock all the time. Then the defense can’t set up what they’re trying to do. Run and gun if we can.”
With the Vikings consistently attacking the basket, the Mustangs were in the penalty for the entirety of the fourth quarter. Mt. Hebron scored 12 of its 14 fourth quarter points at the line.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Oakland Mills 63, Reservoir 49
Zahir Daniels scored a game-high 21 points to lead host Oakland Mills to the 13-point win over Reservoir. The Scorpions went on an 18-8 run in the third quarter to pull away. The victory was the 250th overall for coach Jon Browne and assistant Jeff Tittle.
