Perfection: Oakland Mills Finishes the Regular Season at 22-0 With Win Over Mt. Hebron

Perfect.

No other word can better describe Oakland Mills’ magical basketball season.

On Thursday, the Scorpions entered their game with the Mt. Hebron Vikings at 21-0 and just one win away from a perfect regular season – a feat never before accomplished in the school’s 38-year history.

quickly pulled away from the visiting Vikings, outscoring 29-8 in the first half behind the stellar play of senior forward Greg Whittington.

Whittington led all scorers with 34 points – nearly outscoring the opposition all by himself. And that allowed the Scorpions to rewrite the history books with their 22nd victory of the season, a 58-38 wire-to-wire win.

“I’m at a loss right now for words, to be honest with you,” said Oakland Mills head coach Jon Browne after the game. “I’m a little emotional.”

After all, it was the perfect ending to the perfect regular season.

The Scorpions recorded their 22nd win at home on Senior Night in front of hundreds of their screaming fans. And amid all the commotion, the perfect team witnessed one of their own reach a personal milestone.

Whittington, who celebrated his 18th birthday Thursday night, marked the occasion not only by scoring his game-high 34 points, but also by surpassing the 1,000-point mark for his career – an accomplishment he reached with just 4:52 remaining in the game.

But after the game, Whittington cared less about his personal record and more about his team’s win.

“I’m ready to go celebrate,” he said. “I’m just happy for the team.”

Whittington started the night strong, hitting his first shot of the game – a 3-pointer that gave Oakland Mills the quick 3-0 lead. He scored eight more points in the quarter, accounting for 11 of the Scorpions' 15 first- quarter points. Oakland Mills cruised early, 15-6.

“Whittington, obviously, was out of this world,” Browne said.

But the high-flying forward was far from done.

Whittington followed his 11-point first-quarter performance with 10 points in the second, totaling 21 of his team’s 29 points at halftime.

More impressive, however, was the Scorpions' defense, which allowed just eight points in the first half.

“Ultimately, our defense won this game for us,” Browne said.

Oakland Mills rode its stifling defense and 6-foot-9 scoring sensation to a 29-8 halftime lead.

The Vikings started the third quarter with a newfound confidence, however, opening the half on an 8-2 run to pull within 15 points of the Scorpions.

But with one thunderous dunk, junior forward Kerry Bethea reignited the Oakland Mills offensive juggernaut. Bethea finished the game with four points, 

The Scorpions closed out the third on a 9-2 run, regaining their form after scoring just two points in the first 4:08 of the quarter.

Oakland Mills led by 22 points after three quarters, 40-18.

After a 3-pointer from the Scorpions' Nick Zayatz  got things under way in the fourth, Whittington took over, scoring six straight Oakland Mills points to give his team its largest lead of the night, 49-22.

With his 6th point of the quarter, Whittington joined an exclusive club – pulling in his 1000th career point.

After the milestone basket, play was stopped to honor the senior’s achievement.

Whittington went to the bench as the arena erupted with applause.

But while the Scorpions’ biggest asset relaxed on the sideline, the Vikings made a run, scoring 11 straight points with Whittington out of the game.

So Browne reinserted his big man for just a few more minutes.

Whittington scored two more points, bringing his total to 34, The Scorpions rolled to their 22nd victory of the season.

Oakland Mills accomplished one of their goals with the perfect regular season, but now the Scorpions have their sights set just a bit higher.

“22-0 is a big step,” Whittington said. “But now we just got to go to the state championship.”

Said Browne: “I’m glad that part of the season is over. It’s time to get ready for the real season.”

Oakland Mills (58):

Whittington 34, James Peters 6, Zayatz 5, Bethea 4, Marcellus Ajiboye 4, Joe Kiely 3, Malcolm Davis 2

Mt. Hebron (38):

Malik Gilmore 13, Omari Ringgold 8, Deonte Moses 6, Will Rice 4, Connor Pickett 3, Jeff Mahillchock 2, Diara Woodard 2