Glenelg Country guard Pat Curtin stepped to the line at the end of the third quarter after being fouled on a 3-point attempt. He calmly swished the first two free throws before a Gilman fan yelled out, “Miss it.”

The dynamic guard took the chirp in stride, laughed, shook his head and mouthed “no” before draining the final free throw. Exuding confidence and getting to his spots all evening, Curtin led the Dragons with a dazzling 35-point performance in a commanding 81-45 win over Gilman.

Glenelg Country improved to 17-6 overall and 12-3 in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference Black Division.

On the Dragons’ senior night with many friends and family in the crowd, Curtin entered the contest nearing rarified air. He was just six points away from 2,000 career points after spending his freshman season at Marriotts Ridge. It didn’t take long for Curtin to reach in fitting fashion.

Late in the first quarter, Curtin took a pass near the Gilman bench. With his defender soaring out to contest, Curtin calmly shot-faked and side-stepped before connecting on the shot that placed him in the exclusive club. Family, friends and teammates rejoiced as Curtin posed for a photo with coach Garrett O’Donnell and teammates.

“Once I get in the game, I’m just flowing,” Curtin said. “I knew right when I got it, it was a great feeling. It just shows all the hard work that’s been put in over the years and all the staying true when it doesn’t seem like it’s going to work out. It makes you reflect on things and gives you a good view on moving things forward into the season.

“It’s really an emotional moment because it shows everything you’ve done the last four years, and it gives you a landscape of everything that’s gone on. It’s an amazing feeling; I can’t describe it.”

However, Curtin wasn’t the only Dragon celebrating, on a night highlighted by smiles and excitement. Glenelg Country showcased its prolific perimeter shooting, knocking down 12 3-pointers, six of which came from Curtin. Ten Dragons scored with several bench players making valuable contributions throughout the second half.

Monday’s victory marked the latest triumph in a turnaround season for the Dragons, who have ascended to the top of their division. Glenelg Country is coming off consecutive losing seasons. But this group has hit its stride this season, not letting previous struggles deter them from reaching their ultimate goal.

“This has been an extremely loyal group,” O’Donnell said. “Loyalty is probably the greatest characteristic of this team because two years ago, any of them could have left when we were in a dip. They stuck through it and have risen up to have our best year in a long time. I think that word is a lost characteristic these days.”

The evening began with senior night festivities, honoring the program’s five seniors for their dedication and commitment. The celebration sustained for all 32 minutes as the Dragons exhibited many of the qualities which have lifted them to this point. One of those key characteristics is unselfishness: sharing the ball from side-to-side, looking for the best possible shot. An extra pass led to many of their open perimeter opportunities.

Glenelg Country will look to close out its resurgent regular season Friday at home against Mount Saint Joseph. The Dragons lost the previous meeting, 59-46, on Jan. 13 and would clinch both the division title and top seed in the playoffs with a win. The Dragons hold the tiebreaker over Spalding.

“I would describe tonight as great,” senior guard Ronald Alford said. “The whole team got in, which doesn’t always happen. The environment was great, and it feels really good to get that win on senior night.”

Other boys basketball scores:

Mt. Hebron 73, Glenelg 45

Wilde Lake 70, River Hill 60

Westminster 75, South Hagerstown 67

Liberty 71, Francis Scott Key 29

Towson 88, Sparrows Point 40

Pikesville 76, Winters Mill 65

Joppatowne 68, Edgewood 67

Elkton 62, Aberdeen 55

Girls basketball

Severn 62, Indian Creek 41: Fatigue hung over the Severn girls basketball players racing up and down their home court. They knew their coach was not going to call a timeout.

That was by design. Sharnae Hunt discovered the key to this team’s success was pushing through adversity, even past the limit of their bodies.

The endurance that allowed the fourth-seeded Admirals to sustain a double-digit lead through halftime is sending them to the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland B Conference semifinals on Thursday after a 62-41 win over No. 5 seed Indian Creek on Monday. It was only their second IAAM postseason win since 2016, and the first time they’ve hosted a playoff game hosted in nine years.

They’ll next face top-seeded Mount de Sales in the semifinals. Hunt knows that as hard as this next step in the postseason will be, it can’t be any more difficult than what she asks of them.

Every task the coach doles out at practice requires running. She knows they get tired, she said, but the other team does, too.

The Eagles had the Admirals (16-6) in their clutches as their defense forced the hosts into long possessions and off-target shots. Their bigs, Stephanie Bunker and Ofundem Mbelem, pulled down boards and put them back into the basket to keep pace.

But any time Indian Creek let the Admirals start their fast break, they raced away. Just before the first quarter ended, junior Maddie Ripley swiped a loose ball and flung it to junior Val Waugh, who blurred down court to score as the buzzer sounded.

“We know Maddie is always going to go to the end to meet us because we know our team and we know our chemistry,” Severn’s Amyah Heyliger said. “So, we just had to look up and look for the pass.”

Severn never fares particularly well in the third quarter, Hunt admitted. That’s why the goal is always to push the lead up as high as the Admirals can get it before the half expires. There’s a cushion for Severn to lean on and catch their breath, to protect them as the other team nibbles away in the third.

That’s precisely what happened.

After taking a five-point lead in the first, the Admirals pulled away in the second — a 19-point frame led by Layla Epps, who scored a team-high 14 points. The Admirals took a comfortable 37-20 lead into the locker room.

Indian Creek turned frustration into anger. Mbelem, who led Indian Creek to the IAAM C Conference title one year ago, gave her teammates an order.

The Eagles, the highest-scoring offense in the conference, sparked a run built on Severn turnovers and their own aggressive defense. Guard Amira Comissiong spurred her Eagles on a 9-2 run with seven points of her own.

But Severn had a sizeable enough advantage, all it had to do was keep its grip on the wheel. Heyliger’s layup closed the third quarter with a 48-36 Severn lead, ending the Indian Creek rally for good.

— Katherine Fominykh

Mount de Sales 41, Gerstell 28

Crofton 47, Manchester Valley 44

Edgewood 65, Patterson Mill 44

Urbana 51, Fallston 38

River Hill 39, Wilde Lake 38

Mt. Hebron 39, Glenelg 31

Reservoir 44, Greater Grace 39

Hammond 48, Marriotts Ridge 28

To submit scores and stats, email mdscores@baltsun.com with a full box score, including first and last names of the players.