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.