Howard knew coming into its matchup against Reservoir Wednesday afternoon that it would be going up against a hungry team.

The Gators, who dropped the meeting between the two squads in December and came in having lost to Long Reach two days earlier, had redemption on their minds.

But as the game Wednesday unfolded, the host Lions showcased from the get go that they were more than prepared for the required level of intensity. Answering every Reservoir push with one of their own, No. 6 Howard pulled away down the stretch for a 64-50 victory behind an offensive effort that saw all five starters score eight or more points.

“I thought we played hard and really battled, and I’m proud of the girls for that. Deb [Taylor] is a great coach over there and she made adjustments throughout the game that we had to counter, so it certainly wasn’t easy,” Howard coach Scott Robinson said. “In the end, I thought our toughness and effort really carried us.”

Anii Harris scored a game-high 17 points, including eight in the fourth quarter, and Howard (14-2, 10-2 Howard County) put Marisa Sanchez-Henry (15 points), Lauryn Russell (13) and Gabby Scott (11 points, 11 rebounds) in double figures offensively as well. The win marks the fifth straight for the Lions, which keep pace atop the county standings with Oakland Mills (14-2, 10-2) and Long Reach (9-4, 9-2).

Reservoir (9-4, 12-5) fell just short for the third time in its last four Howard County contests. Abby Bailey led the way by tying a season high with 15 points and 15 rebounds, while the duo of Emily Dorn (10 points, nine rebounds, two blocks) and Tiffany Hooker (10 points) joined her in double figures scoring.

And through the first three quarters, the Gators stayed within single digits. But, in the end, a Howard 9-0 run between the end of the first quarter and beginning of the second ultimately ended up being the difference in the game. Reservoir closed within two at the half and had itself in a two-possession game late in the third quarter, but never managed to grab a lead after the opening six minutes of the contest.

“Runs are exhausting and over the course of a game they can catch up to you. Tonight it seemed that every time we got close, we missed a box out or closed out incorrectly and it cost us,” Reservoir coach Deb Taylor said. “The hard part, as I just told the girls, is that we are inches away from being as good as Howard. The difference right now, is that Howard is just a little more consistent at doing the little things that decide basketball games.”

Sanchez-Henry was the engine behind the Lions’ early push, scoring nine of her points in the first quarter — including the final four points of the period to create a 16-11 Howard lead. Robinson praised his point guard’s poise on both ends of the floor.

“Marisa Sanchez-Henry did a phenomenal job of controlling the game and her effort from the very beginning definitely set the tone,” he said. “She took care of the ball, got us into the offense and also helped lead our effort on the defensive end.”

Howard built a lead of as many as eight points in the second quarter before Reservoir responded with the final six points of the half to get back within two, 25-23.

However, the Lions sprinted out of the gates after intermission with a 7-0 run to open up the lead once again. From there, Reservoir managed back-to-back baskets just once the remainder of the game.

Camille Malagar (eight points) and Lauryn Russell each hit a pair of second-half threes, while Scott crashed the offensive glass for timely putbacks.

bkennedy@baltsun.com

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