Arundel Boys Bounce Back, Top Glen Burnie, 58-55

This was the bounce-back game that Arundel coach Jeff Starr was looking for.  After Friday's lopsided , Starr wondered whether his Wildcats would rebound back to their winning ways or if the loss would send the county c0-leaders into a tailspin.

Behind a 20-point performance from senior guard Billy Fowler, Arundel edged out Glen Burnie High School on Tuesday, 58-55. The Wildcats managed to offset the Gophers' Larry Mike, who tallied a game-high 28 points.

"I was just looking for a solid effort," Starr said.  "And I got the effort.  When we've been playing Arundel basketball, we've been getting good results."

Arundel, who entered the game without the services of junior Blake Williams and sophomore Austin Carroll, needed scores from six different players to match a strong first half from the Gopher's Mike.

Junior David Nicholson and senior Elonte Allen traded off on the task of containing Mike.

"That's just me: hustle, defense and rebounding," Allen said. "I know my role and I don't mind checking the best player on their team. That's what I pride myself on."

With the Wildcats keying on Mike defensively, the offense stepped up it's second-half play to match the effort. Fowler and senior Tyler Washington added seven points a piece to overcome a three-point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter. 

Some clutch free-throw shooting from Nicholson and Washington helped Arundel seal the home win.

KEY MOMENT: With the two teams within three points of each other for most of the fourth quarter, a late pair of free throws from Washington extended the lead to five–and out of reach for Glen Burnie–as the victory was official seconds later.

TOP PERFORMERS: Billy Fowler, 20 points, three rebounds, five assists, four steals. Tyler Washington, 13 points, five rebounds, four assists. David Nicholson, nine points, one rebound, five assists, one steal. Elonte Allen, eight points, six rebounds, one assist, two steals, two blocks. Marcus Long, three points, four rebounds, four assists, two steals. 

WHAT IT MEANS: Arundel remains tied for first place with Broadneck in Anne Arundel County with an 11-2 county record. Games with Old Mill and a rematch with Annapolis are still yet to be played, each of these teams has its sights set on the county's top spot.

WHAT THEY SAID: "After a loss like that on Friday, defense was a key point of the game," Allen said. "And that game we didn't show it.  Tonight was just a great game in help defense."

"It was just enough tonight to get by," Starr said about containing Mike.

"I thought we did a great job of movement, looking for each other," Starr said about the team's unselfish play. Arundel recorded 19 assists against Glen Burnie.  "[The] last game was more out of character and tonight we played like we had the previous 10 games."

"We ran our set a lot better tonight than we did Friday," Allen said.

WHAT'S NEXT: The Wildcats will need another strong effort on Friday, as they travel to Annapolis High School. Arundel at the beginning of January against the Panthers, who sit one loss behind in the standings.