by Derek Toney
All season, Oakland Mills High’s girls’ basketball team has been carried by the scoring prowess of Miriam McKenzie. Wednesday against River Hill, the Loyola University-bound senior was held to season-low nine points.
But it didn’t spell doom for the Scorpions. The Columbia school rallied for a 40-39 victory over the Hawks in a Howard County league match in Clarksville.
Senior guard Gabi Barnes led Oakland Mills (8-3 overall, 8-2 league) with 14 points. Alex Vega led all scorers with 16 points for River Hill (11-3, 7-3), and Ryan Dannelly contributed 15.
Monet Nias’ rebound and score with 1 minute, 50 seconds remaining in regulation was the difference for the Scorpions, and got a loose ball after a miss under the basket by Dannelly with 4.1 seconds left. Oakland Mills coach Seth Willingham saw his team overcome a 11-point deficit in the second half.
“They [River Hill] did a great job taking away Miriam,” said Willingham. “We had some people step up and make some big shots.”
Barnes spearheaded the Scorpions on both ends as they scored the final eight points of regulation. She missed the front end of an one-and-one with 4.1 seconds remaining, but the Hawks weren’t able to get off a final shot.
“As a team, we need to figure out ways to work without her,” said Barnes, who will attend High Point University in North Carolina next school year. “We needed to come together, and know that we can play just as good as anybody on the court.”
McKenzie, who’s averaging more than 25 points a game, didn’t score in the final eight minutes of regulation. Her only basket in the second half came at the end of the third quarter, bringing the Scorpions within 33-29.
They trailed 39-32 after a basket by Dannelly, but Oakland Mills flustered the Hawks with half-court defensive pressure. The Scorpions got to within 39-37 as Barnes converted two free throws with 2:59 remaining in the game after a steal and was fouled going to the basket.
It was 39-38 after a free throw by Nicole Hill, who came up with another steal leading to Nias’ rebound and basket. The teams each exchanged turnovers over the next minute and a half before River Hill had possession with 14.1 seconds remaining.
“We just didn’t have leadership on the court,” said River Hill coach Teresa Waters, who didn’t have leading scorer Alicia Seelaus because of a foot injury. “Everybody began to unravel, looking for somebody to step up and that step-up person wasn’t there. We were able to contain Miriam, but you got to play for 32 minutes.”
The Hawks had a 29-18 advantage early in the third quarter, but Oakland Mills scored seven straight capped by a three-pointer from Barnes to get back into contention. She scored 10 points in the second half, seven in the third period.
“She hit some big shots for us, and she always provides a spark on defense,” said Willingham. “It was only a matter of time before somebody found a way to shut Miriam down, but we found a way to win.”
Oakland Mills 40, River Hill 39
Oakland Mills: Barnes 14, McKenzie 9, Nias 8, Hill 1, Keily 1, Nichols 5, Piper 2. Totals 16 6-13 40.
River Hill: Collier 4, R. Dannelly 15, McCarthy 2, Vega 16, Geoghan 2. Totals 16 6-7 39. Halftime: River Hill 24, Oakland Mills 18.
Oakland Mills 12 6 11 11-40
River Hill 13 11 9 6-39
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