To some, the county championship means little. It doesn’t change standings, records or seedings. But try telling that to the Meade boys basketball players, whose bright, unrelenting grins matched their coach’s from the moment they jumped to a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter to the time they hoisted their plaque in the air.

“[Winning this] it’s just a great, powerful thing,” Meade coach Michael Glick said. “It means a lot to the community. It means a lot to us. And I just think it’s nice to be on top of the county.”

Meade rebounded from a rough stretch to post a dominant 60-51 win against Broadneck on Saturday at Arundel. It’s the Mustangs’ first county title since 2016 and second overall. And it might have only happened because the Bruins beat them before.

The Mustangs (20-3) didn’t exactly enjoy the second week of February. Meade put up what Glick believed to be its worst shooting performance yet to fall by 16 to Broadneck. Three days later, the Mustangs fell to South River.

But Glick considers those losses a blessing now. They exposed major weaknesses in Meade’s play and led the Mustangs to drill executing on quick hitters, zone offense and set plays — even new ones they unleashed against Broadneck (14-5) on Saturday.

“I just felt like we needed it. We got our heads right,” said senior Xavion Roberson, who finished with nine points and six assists. “We started locking in in practice, not taking things for granted.

“We bought into what we know we can do, and we showed them what we’re really about.”

Glen Burnie girls edge Severna Park, 37-34

Amourie Porter was not going to let her teammates mourn a win.

The end of the Anne Arundel girls basketball county championship at Arundel on Saturday certainly captured the spirit of an ugly game monopolized by defense and bristling with fouls. Glen Burnie had a three-point lead and possession with seconds left.

Porter held the ball on the sideline, waiting for Layla Washington to become open. But, she never did. Severna Park freshman Maria Bragg reached up to contest the inbounds pass, forcing the ball off Washington and into a Falcon’s hands. Bragg raced down court, set up behind the 3-point line and shot.

For a moment, every Gopher held her breath. The ball slammed against the glass, kissed the inside of the rim — and then fell out.

No. 7 Glen Burnie hardly cheered at the buzzer despite its 37-34 victory. The Gophers wore dour expressions while they waited for their medals and even when they received them. But Porter (16 points) could not let a horrifying finish ruin her friends’ day. She screamed and cheered from the moment she left the bench to the moment she met her teammates.

They defended their county championship. They had proven themselves the best public girls basketball team in the county, and they were going to remember it.

“I want to make sure they know we don’t need nobody to give us nothing,” Porter said, clutching silver birthday balloons. “We earn everything we work for.

“So, you should be excited. We worked for it.”