By KATHERINE FOMINYKH | Kfominykh@baltsun.com
PUBLISHED: February 13, 2024 at 11:14 p.m. | UPDATED: February 15, 2024 at 11:44 p.m.

Old Mill boys basketball had a plan for everything Meade wanted to do.

And that’s not something the Patriots could have done in December.

“We knew there’d be runs. We focused on taking the runs and punching back,” Patriots coach Greg Smith said. “Don’t panic. Don’t throw the ball away. We executed. We played well on defense.”

Every time Meade threatened to pull even in the fourth quarter, Old Mill held strong, pulling out a 61-55 road victory.

“We pushed through at the end. Start of the season, with Broadneck, Long Reach, Meade, we weren’t closing out because we weren’t hitting free throws and making rebounds,” senior Jordan Penn said. “Now that we’re getting that, sky’s the limit.”

Penn embodied that spirit within himself. The senior guard struggled in his last game, but he didn’t let his valley stop him from working back toward a peak. During Monday’s practice, Smith told him, “You miss a shot? That shot’s gone.”

Penn listened. His first 3-pointer set the tempo for the game. His second set the tempo for his confidence.

“That’s when I felt good,” Penn said.

Defensively, Meade held Old Mill (9-10) to only eight points, but that was good enough for a four-point lead as the Mustangs’ own net remained too dry. However, a furious entrance from Keon Scott (16 points, five assists), Ashton Truman and others put Meade (15-6) up 14-10 early in the second.

But a lead change did not deter the Patriots in the slightest.

A pair of Jaeden Simms 3-pointers sandwiched around a Penn layup flipped the lead back to Old Mill, and Meade ran dry again.

“I just think we missed shots we’ve made all year long,” Meade coach Mike Glick said. “Going to the basket at point blank, for whatever reason. A lot of it was self-inflicted.”

Unable to fully translate its size to offensive rebounds, most of Meade’s shots littered the ground for Old Mill to scoop up. Only Lucaya Baldridge could manage one, while the Patriots — intermittent as they were — shielded their advantage through the half.

“Early in the season, we were getting beaten by their guards,” Smith said. “We’re realizing that our guards can’t just score, they have to rebound. We might not be very big, but we’re focusing on guards helping the bigs to get those rebounds.”

As the first half’s last seconds counted away, guard Jahson Moreau swerved through a thicket of four Mustangs and broke through the other side, and lifted for a layup as the buzzer blared and Old Mill took a 20-16 lead into the break.

Old Mill didn’t need much to float along in the third. Luke Fletcher stepped up, first with a rocket from the perimeter, then with a quick jumper. And all Meade had to show in response was some free throws. And even then, Meade only finished 15-for-25 at the line.

“It was about minimizing their shot opportunities on one set,” Penn said. “Instead of them getting two, three, four shots, we let them get one. Get the board and get out.”

Meade inched closer, getting within 34-31 on two Zamar Jones foul shots. So long as Meade could limit Old Mill’s offense, score a bit at the foul line and make an occasional layup and, they would keep flashing in the Patriots’ rear view mirror.

“I was proud of how our kids battled back,” Glick said.” They don’t give up.”

But they didn’t stop Penn.

The senior cut through traffic and heads barely turned before he fed Brian Poore for two points. Penn followed with another 3-pointer to make it 43-35.

Old Mill had a fix for everything. Scott hits a 3-pointer? Moreau drops in two. Jones hits a pair of free throws? Moreau drills three points.

The fourth quarter turned into a foul contest as the sides exchanged four makes with Poore hitting to close out the game.

The result wasn’t high-scoring as tradition with Old Mill basketball. But it was in line with this team — gritty, just getting better, and extremely aware it could meet Meade again in the region tournament.

“They’re just now realizing what we went through early is why we can do this now,” Smith said. “We were 1-8. Now, they know it was worth it.”