Richard Montgomery High School vs Northwood High School

Photo courtesy of Richard Montgomery boys' basketball Instagram. Northwood boys’ basketball was just mere inches away from securing its second win of the season — its only victory thus far was a five-point win over Rockville. Since then, including Friday night’s last-second defeat at the hands of Richard Montgomery, 64-63, the Gladiators have lost five straight contests. Richard Montgomery entered the game with a 7-1 record, and had pulled off a few close-margin victories prior to Friday’s game. But the Rockets’ clash with the Gladiators proved to be more of the same, even early. Six minutes into the game, the two sides were nearly identical — both had scored 12 points and committed three fouls. But after that point, Northwood embarked on a 14-0 run that extended all the way into the second quarter. In fact, the Rockets’ first points in the second frame weren’t scored until nearly three minutes in. During the scoring drought, Richard Montgomery had plenty of chances, but couldn’t capitalize on some simple finishes and drives to the cup. Conversely, Northwood’s offense didn’t exactly come easily. The Gladiators had a tough time penetrating the paint area, often settling for outside jumpers or getting fouled on shots inside the line. Slowly working to forge themselves back into the game, the Rockets employed a full-court press that had largely positive results. Northwood threw the ball away from their own side of the court multiple times, leading to odd-man breaks and free throw opportunities for Richard Montgomery. By halftime, the Rockets had whittled their deficit all the way down to just one point, trailing 30-29. Those trips to the free throw line proved instrumental in the comeback. Richard Montgomery opened the third quarter with a 3-point make, its first lead since late in the first quarter. But the frame was a back-and-forth affair overall, with multiple lead swings that ultimately led to the Rockets leading at the end of the period. In fact, it wasn’t until the end of the third quarter that Richard Montgomery hit its offensive stride — over a span of three minutes, it hit three shots from beyond the arc to propel them to a 54-50 lead with just over five minutes left to play. An immediate response from Northwood — a corner three — put the Gladiators down just one. After multiple missed shots and two missed free throws, Northwood seized a one-point lead with three minutes left after a sidestep three. A turnover on the ensuing inbounds pass led to a quick layup, boosting that lead to three points. But the visiting Rockets wouldn’t go away. A forced turnover became a Richard Montgomery and-one opportunity, and this was followed up by a Tavares Vaughan-Cooper scoop layup to reclaim the lead. Vaughan-Cooper headmanned the offense for the Rockets for the remainder of the game, taking dribble-handoffs to the hoop and getting to the free throw line. The contest’s final result ultimately came down to the last possession — Northwood had hit a massive three to go up one with 24 seconds left, only for Vaughan-Cooper to sink two free throws on the other end. Down one, Northwood had 1.7 seconds left to get a shot off and win the game. But the ensuing deep three was off the mark, handing Richard Montgomery its eighth win of the year.