Gwynn Park boys' basketball coach Mike Glick always reminds his team to be ready for any contingency, but even he was unprepared for this loop.

The Yellow Jackets, scheduled to play Zebulon B. Vance High School from Charlotte, N.C., Tuesday in the first round of the Maryland National Hoops Classic, instead found out hours before tipoff they would be squaring off against Washington, D.C.'s Eastern High.

The Vance team was stranded in Charlotte by snow. Despite the last-minute switch, Gwynn Park earned a 69-55 victory.

The Yellow Jackets (4-2) face host Wise (5-1) in the semifinals of the tournament at 9 p.m. today. Wise beat Baltimore County's Perry Hall, 66-49, in Tuesday's nightcap.

In the other semifinal, at 7 p.m. today, Archbishop Carroll faces Riverdale Baptist.

"We prepared for three days to play Vance, doing all man-to-man stuff," Glick said. "And Eastern plays zone. The best-laid plans of mice and men ... "

Another change for Gwynn Park: The Yellow Jackets usually have senior forward Tion Barnes in the lineup, but with Barnes sidelined by the flu for much of the week, senior Nick Walton stepped into his place.

Walton scored 16 points, behind only teammate Brandon Ford's 19-point outing, and added nine rebounds.

Walton said he was not nervous about the change.

"Coach prepares us for everything. He always puts us in that type of situation in practice," Walton said. "He said it was my time to shine."

Gwynn Park did not shine much early. Eastern held a nine-point lead at the end of the first quarter, and the Ramblers (2-6) were up 32-29 at the half.

The Yellow Jackets took control in the third quarter, scoring 22 of the period's first 24 points. A free throw from Ford 83 seconds into the quarter tied the game at 32, and his 3-pointer with 6:08 remaining put Gwynn Park up for good.

Gwynn Park built up a 16-point lead before Eastern roared back toward the end of the quarter and cut the deficit to just 12. The Yellow Jackets were able to ward off the challenge, leading by as many as 20 points before garbage time.

Barnes, coming off the bench, scored 11 points for Gwynn Park. Senior forward Kevin Miles added 10 points.

Trey Patterson scored 13 points to lead Eastern (2-5), which was playing its first game in 11 days.

"Well, it's typical Largo-Gwynn Park rivalry," said Gwynn Park coach Mike Glick. "I felt we've had one of the best rivalries in my five years in the county. All the games are like this."

The game didn't begin well for the Yellow Jackets (3-2), as Largo (4-0) went on 13-0 run in the first quarter. Gwynn Park didn't hit a basket until midway through the first period and committed six turnovers during the opening four minutes of the game.

The Yellow Jackets trailed 44-29 at halftime and spent the rest of the game trying to make up for their slow start.

Gwynn Park rallied in the second half, outscoring Largo by 15 points. The Lions began to lose the momentum, committing turnovers in transition that the Yellow Jackets capitalized on. Gwynn Park was able to close the gap to as little as one point, but could never take the lead.

With 34 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Largo scored off an inbound pass, as the Yellow Jackets left Lions' forward Michael Graham open in front of the basket. His layup gave Largo a 73-70 lead.

On the next possession, Gwynn Park's Eric Batts hit a 3-pointer to tie the score at 73-73 with 21 seconds remaining, and the teams headed into overtime.

The Lions came out ready to play in the extra period, scoring 10 points on their first five possessions. Largo saw big production from players who had not scored much during the game in overtime, showing the team's versatility.

Forward Oredin Tobi scored his first basket of the night during overtime, and Chevon Giles scored his first points since the first quarter. Largo Coach Lewis Howard was glad to see contributions coming from an array of players.

"It's a really, really big deal because we told them it is time for you guys to grow up," said Howard. "We're four games in the season, so it was amazing to see because we knew that they could do it. They're not on the team just to be out there, they're on the team because they can perform and they can play. Tonight was a great opportunity for them to step up and show what they can do and they did it in great fashion."

Some of Largo's younger players were forced to take on a bigger role during the Gwynn Park comeback when the Yellow Jackets double teamed Lions' leading scorer Derrick Colter, who matched his season average with 24 points.

"They double teamed Derrick so other players stepped up and made some big plays that helped us a lot," Howard said.

While the Yellow Jackets were able to slow Colter down in the second half, Largo's run to open the game seemed to be too much for Gwynn Park to handle.

"I thought the difference in the game was our start," Glick said. "We got down 20 points in the first quarter. I don't think we were focused in the beginning of the game. The positive is that I thought our kids showed a lot of heart coming back. When you're down 20 points in the first quarter and have a chance to win it at the end, that's great basketball."

Of the two teams, Gwynn Park began the season with more pieces in place from last season and fewer question marks, making it a meaningful win for Largo.

"Gwynn Park has been competitive with us the past few years, and we just wanted to come out, play hard and compete, and we did that tonight," said Howard.

For photos from Tuesday's boys' basketball game between Gwynn Park and Largo click here for a gallery from Gazette photographer Rachel Fus.

Largo 92, Gwynn Park 84

Largo 27 17 14 15 19 -- 92

Gwynn Park 10 19 19 25 11 -- 84

Largo (4-0): Derrick Colter 24, Damante McNeil 19, Chevon Giles 17, Donald Hunt 11, Brandon Bailey 11, Michael Graham 8, Oredin Tobi 2.

Gwynn Park (3-2): Daniel Henry 29, Eric Batts 17, Brandon Ford 15, Marcel Boyd 11, Tion Barnes 8, Jarvis Hawkins 4.