Most athletes and coaches at Gwynn Park High School consider Frederick Douglass High their arch rival, but this winter in boys basketball, the Yellow Jackets may temporarily give that title to Largo.

In a raucous atmosphere Friday night in Brandywine, the Lions and Yellow Jackets put on a show that demonstrated they may be the two best teams in the Prince George’s County 3A/2A/1A League this season.

After trailing by 21 points in the third quarter, Largo managed to make the contest a nail-biter, but the Lions were unable to complete the comeback and Gwynn Park escaped with a 78-76 victory.

The Yellow Jackets (8-4 overall, 7-1 league) moved into a tie for the league lead while handing the Lions (9-2, 7-1) their first loss in the county this season.

“I think in our league, this has become the rivalry,” said Gwynn Park coach Mike Glick. “This has become the Duke vs. North Carolina. It’s a great rivalry. I think we’re both very good. Being good and always fighting for the top of the division makes it great for both teams.”

As an added bonus, Friday’s game potentially was the first of three between the teams this season. Gwynn Park will visit Largo on Feb. 13, and in the postseason both teams will play in the 2A South Region. Largo previously was a 3A school, which meant the teams went their separate ways during the playoffs. But Largo was reclassified to the 2A ranks starting this school year.

Gwynn Park junior guard Jalen Harris, who has been one of the surprise players in the county this season, scored 21 points, three above his average. Yellow Jackets’ senior Agyei Gregory, who has become a starter in place of injured junior Alex Bazil, also had 21 points. High-leaping senior Xavier Richards had 19 points for Gwynn Park.

In recent years, the Yellow Jackets have had a dynamite duo to lead the way. Brandon Ford and Tion Barnes were the cornerstone of the team the past two seasons as Gwynn Park won two consecutive 2A South Region titles. But this season, the Yellow Jackets are getting contributions from many players, and Glick said this year’s team is “the most balanced” he has had in six seasons at the Brandywine school. The team has an inside punch from 6-foot-9 senior center Marcel Boyd, rebounding from Richards and Boyd and outside shooting from Harris.

“We can rely on a bunch of different people on this team,” Harris said. “Coach tells us to move the ball around in practice and we carry that over to the game. That helps us get open shots and get to the basket.”

Largo, which has a senior-laden lineup, has grown to expect a battle every time it steps on the court. Friday night, the Lions already were eagerly anticipating the teams’ next meeting Feb. 13

“The conversation we had in the locker room is that we’re going to punish them the next time we play them,” said Derrick Colter, who had a game-high 24 points. “We’re the team to beat and they’re feeling good because they beat us. It’s personal. Next time they come to play at our house, it’s on. They’re our biggest rival now.”

Leading 39-31 at the start of the third quarter, Gwynn Park played with more energy and outhustled the Lions to start the second half. Gwynn Park had boosted its lead to 62-41 with a little more than a minute to play in the third period.

But over the next 5 minutes, the Lions began using full-court pressure and outscored the Yellow Jackets, 14-6, to cut the deficit to nine with 5 minutes remaining in the game.

The Lions would cut got to within four points at 74-70 with 1:40 remaining in the game. But a series of misses and turnovers hurt the Lions’ chances, and then time expired.

“It has become a rivalry within the County 3A/2A/1A League,” said Largo coach Lewis Howard. “It’s a competitive situation. You have two very good teams playing. We are the barometer for our league, however, [Gwynn Park] is the barometer as well. Now that we’ve dropped to Class 2A, we’re in the same region now. There’s potential that we will play again after the second game. We relish it.”

thampton@gazette.net

Gwynn Park 78, Largo 76

Largo 13 18 14 31 — 76

Gwynn Park 25 14 23 16 — 78

Largo (9-2, 7-1): Derrick Colter 24, Damante McNeill 18, Lafayette Nelson 14, Daemond Carter 11, Michael Graham 3, Jeffery Garvin 2, Tyeke Jones 2, Khari Sewell 2.

Gwynn Park (8-4, 7-1): Agyei Gregory 21, Jalen Harris 21, Xavier Richards 19, Marcel Boyd 7, Jarvis Hawkins 6, Robert Flint 2, Trevor Ford 2.

Most of the firepower that propelled the Gwynn Park High School boys’ basketball team into the Maryland 2A semifinals last season was lost to graduation last spring. But a new cast of characters could be on a track similar to last year’s team.

A hot-shooting first quarter that included six 3-pointers was enough for the Gwynn Park to earn a 76-64 victory against Fairmont Heights on Friday night in Brandywine. The Yellow Jackets improved to 6-4 overall and 5-1 in the County 3A/2A/1A League, while the Hornets (3-7) dropped their fifth in a row.

“I think we’re picking up momentum,” said Gwyn Park coach Mike Glick. “We knew that it would take a while for them to develop chemistry with five new starters this season. We knew that as the season moved on we would get better and they’re starting to get to know each other.”

Gwynn Park’s 6-foot-9 senior center Marcel Boyd was impressive, scoring 16 points while grabbing 11 rebounds and blocking three shots. Senior forward Xavier Richards added a spark with 10 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks.

“This is a breaking point for us as a team,” Boyd said. “We’re starting to come together as a team. We know each other’s roles and what each other can and can’t do, and we’re starting to work and become a better team. I think the second half could shape up really good for us.”

“It all starts in practice,” Richards said. “We play together, developing our chemistry. We just have to keep the same intensity and bring it every night.”

Underscoring the completeness of the effort on Friday, Gwynn Park had a season-high 19 assists as a team.

Junior guard Jalen Harris has been a driving force all season, averaging 18 points per game. He had 20 against Fairmont Heights, and senior Agyei Gregory added 14 points, including four 3-pointers.

Fairmont Heights senior forward Julian Livingston had an outstanding night with a game-high 32 points, to go along with seven rebounds and four blocks. But the rest of the Hornets struggled to play consistently.

“Right now we have a lot to learn,” Livingston said. “We keep making the same mistakes and turnovers. People can’t handle the ball and pressure [defense], and that keeps putting us in bad situations at the end of the game.”

Hornets’ coach George Wake said the team’s experienced leaders need to demand more from their teammates.

“We’re lost at this point, and a car riding down the road without a driver,” Wake said. “We have no leadership. If you’re practicing and practice is not going well, it should be a leader, not a coach pulling the players back in to work hard. You always want a leader that makes the team accountable and we don’t have that.”

Game notes: Gwynn Park will be without senior leader Eric Batts for at least several weeks after he suffered an injury to his reconstructed left knee during practice on Tuesday. Batts, who tore his left anterior cruciate ligament in December 2010 and missed the rest of last season, reinjured his knee when a teammate fell on the back of his leg.

“My knee stiffened up but it’s going to take a couple of weeks,” said Batts, a 6-foot guard. “This year has been frustrating. Before hurting my knee again, I felt close to 100 percent. Every game I’m getting better and that’s what I’m happy about and I’m having a progression right now.”

“He was really getting better and more confidence in his knee,” Glick said. “He’s our most tenacious player, and losing him is a big blow because he plays harder than anybody. He plays bigger than what he is.”

The Yellow Jackets are looking forward to the return of 6-11 senior center Kevin Walters, who has missed all of the Yellow Jackets 10 games this season after breaking his wrist in practice. Glick said he expects for Walters to return within the next two weeks.

thampton@gazette.net

Gwynn Park 76, Fairmont Heights 64

Fairmont Heights 13 12 15 24 — 64

Gwynn Park 25 13 16 22 — 76

Gwynn Park: Jalen Harris 20; Agyei Gregory 14; Marcel Boyd 16

Fairmont Heights: Julian Livingston 32; Jamar Cuthbertson 6; Javon Nance 5; Kavan Sclafford 5