In February 2010, the Yellow Jackets were flying high, leading the County 3A/2A/1A League and feeling like a deep run in the playoffs was ahead.

And it was.

The Yellow Jackets advanced to the Class 2A state title game, where they lost to Baltimore's City College High. Fast forward to Tuesday night's game at Surrattsville, and the Yellow Jackets were beaming with the same level of confidence, albeit in much different circumstances.

Gwynn Park has not enjoyed the same amount of regular season success this year. Still, the Yellow Jackets left Surrattsville High's gym feeling like they had their swagger back after a 72-68 victory against the Hornets. In beating the County 3A/2A/1A League co-leaders, Gwynn Park showed as much resolve as it has the entire season.

"We're back," Yellow Jackets' senior Tion Barnes said with a big smile. "Everybody has gotten together and everybody knows their roles. These are like my brothers out there."

Gwynn Park (12-7) has won three in a row and seven of its last nine and is now 11-4 in the league. Surrattsville dropped to 15-4 overall and 12-3 in the league, and the Hornets have lost two of their last three games.

Yellow Jackets' senior guard Brandon Ford exploded for 32 points, 19 of which came in the second half, as Gwynn park turned a five-point lead entering the fourth quarter into a 16-point cushion before Surrattsville staged a furious comeback in the final minute of the game. Barnes scored 16 points, including six points by way of three huge slams that sent the crowd into a frenzy.

Ford said the turning point for the Yellow Jackets came with back-to-back losses to Friendly and Frederick Douglass on Jan. 28 and 31, before the team's recent win streak.

"In the second half of the Douglass game, we fought back from 20 points, although we came up short," Ford said. "In the Friendly game, we were down big again and our comeback jumpstarted our momentum. Ever since then, we have been rolling. We're peaking at the right time and we're not losing again this season."

"We played with great composure tonight, which was the best we've shown all season," said Gwynn Park coach Mike Glick. "I really see us turning the corner and it started last week. We're very focused. I think losing took a toll on us, but it was that losing that has brought them together."

The tone in the Surrattsville locker room was not nearly as optimistic. The Hornets had solid performances from guards Alexander Noble (18 points) and Chaz White (17 points), but most of the lineup struggled.

"I think inconsistency is how you describe our last week," said Surrattsville coach Roderick Moore. "It's tough to win in P.G. I think we're inconsistent across the board."

Hornets' senior Raymond Baldwin was held to just nine points and has struggled not only from the field but also from the free throw line in the Hornets' last two losses. Forward Gamari Mayfield got off to a slow start, scoring all eight of his points in the second half.

"Lately, we've been playing as individuals and we've got to turn it around in these last three games and get the momentum back heading into the playoffs," Noble said.

"We have to get back to playing together, it's as simple as that," Hornets' guard Will Johnson said. "I believe we can do it."

Gwynn Park 72, Surrattsville 68

Gwynn Park 19 12 15 26 -- 72

Surrattsville 13 13 15 27 -- 68

Gwynn Park: Brandon Ford 32, Tion Barnes 16, Daniel Henry 9, Brian Hall 4, Marcel Boyd 4, Nick Walton 4, Jarius Hawkins 2.

Surrattsville: Chaz White 17, Alexander Noble 18, Raymond Baldwin 9,Gamari Mayfield 8, Larry McCollum 5,Avery Jasper 2,Juwan Strothers 4

But through the first two months of the season, Gwynn Park has struggled to find its rhythm and put together a solid stretch of games.

Tuesday night, the Yellow Jackets traveled to play County 3A/2A/1A League rival Largo, which has faced its own adversity with two key injuries in the last couple of weeks.

In what Yellow Jackets' coach Mike Glick said was one of his team's most balanced efforts of the season, Gwynn Park jumped out to an early lead on the Lions and closed solidly to win, 79-71.

"We really needed this game," Glick said. "Tonight we had our best offensive performance of the season. We showed patience and moved the ball really well. This was the first good team we beat all season and for our kids, it couldn't have come at a better time."

The Yellow Jackets (10-7) had lost their last two - including a 59-52 setback Monday night against Frederick Douglass - before taking on Largo (11-5).

Glick said the team has struggled with nuances since junior starting point guard Eric Batts was lost during the Christmas break with multiple torn knee tendons.

Yellow Jackets' guard Daniel Henry (21 points) texted Glick on Monday night asking to personally guard Largo point guard Derrick Colter, one of the leading scorers in the county. Glick obliged and the move paid off. Colter scored 15 points, but Henry held him to just two points in the first half, which came on a shot at the buzzer.

"We always start off slow and this was the first game we started out fast," Henry said. "We knew that this season would be tough and that we were going to take a couple of losses. We just have to keep our head up."

Gwynn Park guard Brandon Ford scored a game-high 23 points, helping the Yellow Jackets to a key victory in what has been an up-and-down season.

"Honestly, we lost the heart and soul of this team in Eric Batts," Ford said. "We have struggled to find a rhythm but now we're rebounding. Teams have been overlooking us. We were playing for a county title at first, but now we're just playing for a state championship. We're not losing again this year."

Largo also has had its share of strife over the past few weeks, and Tuesday's defeat gave the Lions back-to-back losses for the first time all season.

Injuries have held the team back. Forward Damante McNeil has missed the past several weeks with a high ankle sprain. The Lions lost guard Chevon Giles for three weeks in Friday's loss to Douglass with a broken right ankle.

"I think we've just hit that rough patch," said Lions' coach Lewis Howard. "November to March is a long time, and our young men have to deal with that. I think we just have to continue to play hard."

"We all have to step up," said Largo forward Donald Hunt, who had 15 points on Tuesday. "We have to get back to practice and play hard. This has been a learning experience."

"We have to come back and practice hard," Colter said. "When we have snow and our games are pushed back, we seem to lose focus. We're not returning mentally ready to play. We need to start winning."

Gwynn Park 79, Largo 71

Gwynn Park 22 13 18 26 -- 79

Largo 12 17 22 20 -- 71

Gwynn Park: Brandon Ford 23, Daniel Henry 21, Brian Hall 15, Tion Barnes 11, Marcel Boyd 1, Nick Walton 4.

Largo: Michael Graham 21, Donald Hunt 15, Derrick Colter 15, Lafayette Nelson 14, Brandon Bailey 2, Tobi Oredin 4.

It was what you'd expect from any Frederick Douglass-Gwynn Park boys' basketball game - a packed house, tons of intensity and a game that went down to the wire.

Douglass, which led by 17 points midway through the third quarter, warded off a late Gwynn Park rally and earned a 59-52 victory on its home court Monday night in Upper Marlboro. The county rivals meet again in the season finale Feb. 17 at Gwynn Park, and that game should be just as wild as the one they played Monday.

The Yellow Jackets climbed out of their deep hole late, rallying in the second half and cutting the deficit to four in the waning minutes.

"They're a good team, and we knew they were going to come back," Douglass coach Ty Massenburg said. "We did a good job of weathering the storm."

Sweat-soaked Gwynn Park coach Mike Glick lauded his players for rallying from their early struggles.

"We showed a lot of grit, a lot of determination in the way we battled back," Glick said.

Douglass junior forward Kavon Glover led all scorers with a 24-point performance. Senior guard Brandon Ford scored 19 points to lead Gwynn Park.

Glover played the final 5:11 with four fouls, staying tough on defense but keeping his foul situation in mind.

"He played conscious of the four fouls, but he stayed aggressive enough to make a play on defense when he needed to," Massenburg said. "He stayed aggressive on offense, too, and that helped us down the stretch."

In the waning moments, Glover nailed two big shots for Douglass (11-5 overall, 7-5 County 3A/2A/1A League). The first came midway through the fourth quarter, not long after a Ford bucket had brought the Yellow Jackets within five points at 44-39. Glover countered with a sweet fallaway jumper that kept the Douglass fans in the game.

The second came about 90 seconds later, after Gwynn Park (9-7, 8-4 County 3A/2A/1A League) had made it a four-point game. Glover's turnaround jumper in the lane gave the Eagles some much-desired breathing room. Glover was strong in the first half, helping Douglass establish a 13-point halftime lead.

Senior forward Tion Barnes was responsible for all six of Gwynn Park's first-quarter points, keeping the game close for the bulk of the period before the Eagles ended the quarter on an 8-0 run.

Douglass held a 14-6 lead entering the second period, and it expanded that lead to a high of 17 points before a couple of late Gwynn Park hoops made it 26-13 at the break.

The Eagles again expanded their lead in the third quarter, taking a 36-19 advantage after a basket from Teron Elias with 4:08 left in the period. But Gwynn Park scored 11 of the final 16 points in the period, cutting Douglass' lead to 41-30 entering the fourth quarter.

Douglass 59, Gwynn Park 52

Gwynn Park (9-7, 8-4) 6 7 17 22--52

Douglass (11-5, 7-5) 14 12 15 18--59

Gwynn Park: Brandon Ford 19, Tion Barnes 12, Marcel Boyd 6, Brian Hall 4, Nick Walton 4, Daniel Henry 3, Kevin Miles 2, Hershel Grant 2.

Douglass: Kavon Glover 24, Timmone Whatley 14, Marvis Davies 7, Michael Cunningham 5, Jeffrey Calhoun 4, Teron Elias 3, Ryan Phillips 2.

When he returned to the game in the fourth quarter the Patriots trailed by a point, but Morton scored eight of his 12 points in the final period to help Friendly win its 11th consecutive game, defeating Gwynn Park 62-54.

"It's so frustrating sitting on that bench, watching my team get down," Morton said. Friendly improved to 12-3 overall and 9-2 in the Prince George's County 3A/2A/1A League.

In the third quarter, Gwynn Park (9-6, 8-3) took its first lead since the first period on a slam by senior forward Tion Barnes with 3:29 to play. The teams exchanged the lead seven times before Morton returned with 6:15 left in the fourth quarter and the Patriots trailing, 43-42.

Morton scored on a steal and layup with 5:11 to go to give his team a 46-45 lead. Friendly never trailed again.

With Morton on the bench, Friendly senior Michael Johnson (18 points) and senior point guard Sherrod Baltimore (13 points) supplied most of the offense.

"This is our 11th straight victory, so we're obviously going to try and win the county first, then go on to state," Johnson said.

Gwynn Park narrowed Friendly's lead to 56-54 with 53.6 seconds to play on two free throws by senior guard Brandon Ford, but Morton scored on a layup, then made two foul shots to keep the Yellow Jackets from rallying.

"At this time of the year, as a coach, you look for those signs," said Friendly coach Rob Garner. "Can we win games, close games, in a hostile environment, on the road? Those are good checking points or assessments to see where we are."

Friendly took the lead in the first half with its transition game, forcing Gwynn Park into eight turnovers that they usually converted into layups or foul shots. The Patriots led 28-24 at halftime.

Barnes led the Yellow Jackets with 20 points and Ford added 13.

"We're not that far away," said Gwynn Park coach Mike Glick. "We're one or two plays away it seems in every game."

Friendly 62, Gwynn Park 54

Friendly (12-3, 9-2) 15 13 12 22--62

Gwynn Park (9-6, 8-3) 11 13 17 13--54

Friendly: Michael Johnson 18, Sherrod Baltimore 13, Davon Morton 12, Chris Williams 6, Victor Blakey 4, Jordan Gaither 2, Kim Collins 2, Lamont Short 2.

Gwynn Park: Tion Barnes 20, Brandon Ford 13, Nick Walton 9, Brian Hall 6, Daniel Henry 4, Jarvis Hawkins 2.

Fresh off a 57-54 upset victory against Frederick Douglass last Friday night, Central led Gwynn Park by one after the first quarter and was controlling the game. Though their records said otherwise, the Falcons looked like the better team.

But after those first eight minutes, they fell back to Earth.

"We're still young, and we're still trying to learn how to play the game of basketball," Central coach Lawrence Pugh said. "So at times in the games where we face a little bit of adversity, we have to handle that adversity."

Turnover after turnover as well as foul trouble derailed the Falcons' upset bid as the Yellow Jackets coasted to a 73-57 victory. Gwynn Park, the Class 2A state runner-up last year, improved to 9-5 overall and 8-2 in the County 3A/2A/1A League. Central is 4-8, 3-7.

The shots Gwynn Park missed early in the game finally started falling, and the Yellow Jackets' high-pressure defense put the Central motion offense out of sync. A 14-4 Gwynn Park run to open the second period put the game out of reach.

"I was proud of the way we played in terms of our intensity," Gwynn Park coach Mike Glick said. "I thought the first half, we were a little unintelligent with our fouling. Then we made some adjustments the second half and played a little bit of a cleaner game."

Nearly every time the Falcons attempted to mount a comeback, their defense would send Gwynn Park to the line. On a night when the referees' whistle was nearly as common as the sound of dribbling, Pugh paced up and down the sidelines and complained enough about the officiating to earn a technical foul.

Yellow Jackets' point guard Daniel Henry made his fair share of trips to the charity stripe en route to a game-high 22 points, while Brandon Ford chipped in 19.

"I just wanted to play hard because last game I didn't play too good," Henry said. "We just didn't want to start out slow. But we did. We weren't worried, we were fine. We kept playing and told everybody, keep playing, keep playing, don't worry about it. It had been like that all season and we still came back to win."

Falcons' point guard James Jordan scored 14 and Phil Poteat had 11. But Central had no one else in double figures, and was unable to carry momentum over from its big victory against Douglass last Friday.

"The truth is, the Douglass game we came together as one," Pugh said. "We shared the ball, we passed, we moved. Tonight, we disbanded each other. We didn't play together."

Gwynn Park 73, Central 57

Gwynn Park 15 18 18 22 -- 73

Central 16 10 10 21 -- 57

Gwynn Park (9-5): Daniel Henry 22, Brandon Ford 19, Tion Barnes 12, Brian Hall 8, Jarvis Hawkins 6, Nick Walton 4, Kevin Walters 2.

Central (4-8): James Jordan 14, Phil Poteat 11, Calvin Lovitt 9, Jumar Jennings 7, Damarkus Thomas 7, Darrius Pugh 4, Devonte Perry 2.