Boys' Basketball: River Hill Loses to Mount Hebron in Overtime Thriller

In a game where they had trailed by as many as 15 points, the resilient Mt. Hebron Vikings were able to come back in front of an exuberant home crowd to beat an extremely talented River Hill Hawks team.

River Hill had seemed to have a comfortable advantage as late as the third quarter, but the Vikings were able to stay in it until the end – when clutch shooting and strong defense would allow them to send the game to overtime.

The game appeared evenly matched from the start, with both teams shooting well early. There appeared to be no advantage on either side until the Hawks' long range shooting began to take over. The team made five consecutive three-pointers in an impressive fashion.

Sophomore Malik Gilmore was the Vikings' leader offensively throughout the game, especially in the first half, when he quickly scored 13.  The Hawks' long-range shooting, however, kept the Vikings trailing. River Hill took a double-digit lead early in the third quarter.

Mt. Hebron continued to struggle to defend the perimeter for much of the game, and were unable to climb back into the game – that is, until they received a boost from junior Jeff Mohilchock.

A three-pointer from Mohilchock brought the Vikings to within five points near the end of the third quarter.

The game grew increasingly physical, and the Hawks were hurt by a technical foul that allowed Mt. Hebron to continue their comeback bid. The rough play continued, and the Hawks would head into the fourth quarter with a nine-point lead, 50-41.

The Hawks continued to have trouble Mt. Hebron in the fourth quarter. Their diminishing lead was also partially a product of being unable to get the ball to their best shooter around the arc, with the Vikings stepping up on defense around the perimeter. Gilmore hit a clutch three from well beyond the three-point line, getting the crowd into the game and allowing his team to see light at the end of the tunnel.

They were now down by just five, 55-50.

With an additional clutch three-pointer with just 1:55 to play, Gilmore's 22nd point of the game pulled Mt. Hebron to within two, changing the momentum of the game.

After a Hawks offensive foul allowed the Vikings to tie the score with a minute in regulation, the Vikings got a stop on defense yet were unable to hit a game winning shot, sending them into overtime with full momentum and a lively home crowd on their side.

The Hawks made it known that they would not go easily in overtime, hitting a three pointer immediately that Hebron would match. But Mohilchock's shooting put the Vikings ahead by two, as they began to find a way to lock down the Eagles on defense.

With the lead, it would take clutch free throw shooting and several more defensive stops before Mt. Hebron would be able to put the game on ice at 69-64, exciting a crowd that had supported them throughout the game.