During a first month littered with close games and overwhelming parity among county teams, one squad has managed to emerge from the pack unscathed.

Atholton, champion of the Morgantown Tournament in West Virginia over winter break, was 8-0 heading into the new year and the lone undefeated team remaining among the 12 public schools. Every other team has at least two losses overall, and only Oakland Mills, winners of the Overlea Tournament, has a single loss in county play.

"We try not to worry about the undefeated thing. It's really nice, don't get me wrong, but it's a long season and keeping everything in perspective is important," Atholton coach Jim Albert said. "It's still very early."

The Raiders, who were one of five county squads to win a holiday tournament, have already passed several early tests. Of their eight victories, four have been by five points or less, including a 59-54 victory over Morgantown in the championship game.

In that final, junior Matt Robinson had 19 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and four steals. He had game highs in all four categories and was a major reason why Atholton was able to race out to an early 11-2 lead and never trailed the rest of the way.

"In these big games, Matt's juices really get flowing and he won't be denied," Albert said, also noting a 19-point effort against Long Reach earlier in the year. "It's not just about the points, either. His rebounding, ability to see the floor ... those have been just as important."

Arthur Hairston (12 points), Conner Cortes (11) and K.J. Settle (11) all scored in double digits in the victory over the previously unbeaten Mohigans.

Atholton's first-round opponent, Mercyhurst Prep (Erie, Pa.), also came into the tournament without a loss, but the balanced Raiders' attack earned a 50-41 win to advance to the championship. Settle, Cortes and Hairston all tied for team-high honors with 12 points apiece. Robinson added seven points and a team-high five assists and six steals.

With guard Shane Brown battling through a leg injury the last five games, Albert also acknowledged the improved play of senior Pat Cristaldi during the tournament and the entire season thus far.

"We've needed another guy to step up and he's given us some huge minutes," Albert said of Cristaldi, who is averaging just over five points a game. "Pat's a scrapper, the kind of kid who always gives everything he has."

Scorpions ride Williams

Oakland Mills coach Jon Browne said before the season that it was only a matter of time before his senior guard, Gionni Williams, broke the 30-point barrier. As it turns out, it took just eight games and Williams not only broke it -- he shattered it.

After scoring nine points in the first half and with Oakland Mills trailing, 26-22, Williams exploded for 30 in the final 16 minutes against Overlea on Dec. 30 to help the Scorpions to a 67-51 victory. The 39 points were 13 better than his previous season high and the best scoring output by a county player this season.

"Everything was working. I got a few fastbreak lay-ups, then I hit a few threes and it all just added up," said Williams, who is currently averaging a county best 24.6 points a game. "The thing is that I didn't play great in the first half, but I could tell at halftime that the guys were looking at me to see what I was going to do. I felt like if we were going to win, I needed to step up."

Browne said Overlea made a point of keeping the ball out of Williams' hands early, especially after watching him score 26 points in an 82-44 victory over Carver A&T in the opening round of the tournament.

"They were playing some serious denial against Gionni, so it took him a little while to adjust, but the kid just works so hard," Browne said. "Once he got into a rhythm in the second half, he couldn't miss. His foul shooting was huge too, because he made 16 of 19."

While Williams, who was named MVP of that Overlea Tournament, has been lighting up the scoreboard thus far, he's also gotten plenty of help from his teammates during Oakland Mills' current six-game winning streak. Evan Hopkins, Joe Kiely, Brandon Pines, Nate Sturm and Greg Whittington have each scored in double figures at least once through eight games.

"Everyone has been stepping up. We're a completely different team than this time last year," Williams said. Oakland Mills is currently 6-2, one year after starting 3-5.

"It's been pleasantly surprising. It's not that we didn't expect to start strong, because that's the goal every year, but this is a young group that is really just going out and having fun," Browne said. "The kids have been relaxed and we're winning games against teams, like Long Reach, that we've fallen short against in recent years."

Vikings, Bears, Gators win

Williams wasn't the only county player to have a career game over winter break. Mt. Hebron's Mike McCarthy scored 37 points, including 15 field goals, in a 61-58 victory over Magruder in the championship of the Magruder Tournament Dec. 30. McCarthy's previous season high had been 18 points against Atholton.

"He dominated the first four minutes, especially on the defensive end. I think he had our first 12 points," Mt. Hebron coach Mike Linsenmeyer said.

Mt. Hebron, behind Zach Neal scoring 18 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the floor, defeated Damascus, 56-54, in the opening round of the tournament. The pair of wins snapped a six-game losing streak to open the season for the Vikings, who lost three of those games by single digits.

Hammond was another county team to win its holiday tournament, defeating South River and Broadneck in the South River Tournament. Leo Rogers, who averaged 16 points between the two games, was named the tournament MVP. Avery Terry, who had 14 points in the 66-57 victory over South River and another 18 in the 61-58 victory over Broadneck, also played well.

The balanced scoring helped offset the fact that Chris Baker had a pair of off-shooting nights by his standards, scoring 19 and 10 in the two tournament games after registering 27 points or better in each of his previous three contests. Coach Karl Friedheim said that his senior captain did do the other things well, like rebound, play defense and get his teammates involved.

"Chris kept his composure and the other guys did a great job stepping up. Ira (Blossom) played well, his brother Cedric had a season-high seven points in the final, and then with Leo rebounding and Avery making outside shots we were able to pull out wins," Friedheim said. "Confidence wise, after losing to Atholton (72-60 before break), the tournament was big for us."

Reservoir captured the title at the Northeast Anne Arundel Tournament, defeating Kenwood in overtime and then cruising past Northeast, 61-38, in the final. Denzyl Johnson scored a team-high 12 points in the championship game, while Eddie Hayes dropped in a team-leading 19 points in the opening round. The Gators improved to 5-3 on the season.

Dragons pull away to win

There were plenty of side stories to the championship game of the Glenelg Country Tournament, which featured the host Dragons against Centennial. Glenelg Country coach Charlie Stewart is a Centennial graduate and brothers Colin and Brian Gibbons got the opportunity to square off against each other for this first time in high school.

In the end, Glenelg Country bounced back from an early deficit to win going away, 66-45, and it was the outside shooting of Brian Gibbons (15 points) that played a major factor in the outcome.

"There were definitely some interesting subtexts, and I think naturally Brian wanted to have a big game. But the truth is Brian is a mellow guy and he doesn't really get too excited before games," Stewart said. "He's the complete opposite of his brother. Colin feeds off emotion."

Stewart knows Colin Gibbons well, as the Centennial senior guard played the first two years of his high school career in a Dragons' uniform. Colin started hot in the game Dec. 27, making a couple early baskets, but finished with only seven points.

The Eagles did get a big game from Marcos Ocadiz (15 points), but were unable to answer a second quarter run by Glenelg Country that essentially put the game out of reach. The Dragons got 14 points from Jonathan Shaham and another 13 from Justin Johnson.

"They did a good job of keeping us away from the basket in transition and we just weren't able to sustain the energy we started out with," Centennial coach Chad Hollwedel said. "In stretches we've shown the ability to play with anyone this season, but we still have those lapses that cost us."

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