Come playoff time it’s all about survival, and, against Hammond Thursday night, survive is exactly what Oakland Mills did.

Greg Whittington hit a 3-pointer with 32 seconds left in regulation to force overtime and then the junior scored eight of his team’s 10 points in the ensuing extra period, as Oakland Mills won a 64-61 thriller in front of a packed Hammond gym in the 2A South semifinals.

“It was the dog fight we knew it was going to be, a couple of bounces here or there and Hammond wins that game. Just a great game between two really good teams and it’s a shame someone had to lose,” said Oakland Mills coach Jon Browne, whose team will travel to Gwynn Park, a 64-60 winner over Douglass, this Saturday for the region title. “At this point it’s win or go home, though, and I’m just thrilled for our guys.”

Joining Oakland Mills in the winner’s circle Thursday was Atholton, which won its 3A East semifinal against Centennial 46-41.

With Mt. Hebron losing to Stephen Decatur, Oakland Mills and Atholton are now the only two county teams still alive in the playoffs. Both the Scorpions and Raiders will play road games on Saturday for the opportunity to advance to the state final four.

2A South

Greg Whittington has had some big games down the stretch this season, but none was bigger than Thursday. And right from the start, it was evident the Scorpions’ 6-foot-7 forward had everything working.

Scoring eight of his team’s first 18 points courtesy of lay-ups and put-backs, Whittington helped Oakland Mills to a 7-point advantage just two minutes into the second quarter.

“The atmosphere was great … I was ready to go,” Whittington said.

But, as was a common theme all night, Hammond had an answer. By halftime, the Bears managed to pull themselves even at 23 and a lot of that had to do with the play of James Turner. The Hammond sophomore scored the final six points of the half.

“As the season has gone on, James has gotten better and better,” Hammond coach Karl Friedheim said. “You could tell how bad he wanted this game and he carried us at times.”

Between the third and fourth quarters there were five ties, six lead changes and no lead of more than five points for either team. However, as the clock ticked down in the fourth quarter, it was Hammond that was in control.

A free throw by Cedric Blossom (10 points) with 41 second left made it 54-51 Hammond. That, though, only set the stage for Whittington (25 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks on the night) to play hero.

From the top of the key, Whittington caught the ball and hit his first 3-pointer of the night.

“I knew that we needed a three to tie and I had confidence that if I got the ball I was going to drain it,” Whittington said. “In those situations you have to want to take that shot.”

Hammond’s Brandon Bjerre (12 points, 10 rebounds) had a shot to win it at the end of regulation, but it was off the mark and the game went to overtime.

On the first Oakland Mills possession of the four-minute extra period, Whittington tipped one in to start what was a quick 5-0 Scorpions run.

Bjerre kept things interesting with a 3-pointer from the corner to cut the lead to two and then, following three made foul shots by Whittington, Turner (24 points) scored four straight points to pull Hammond within one with 15 seconds left.

“I thought we showed a lot of toughness, a lot of fight,” Friedheim said. “We left it all out there, just sometimes the bounces don’t go your way.”

But again, when Oakland Mills needed a big play, Whittington was there. Stepping up and making two foul shots with 10 seconds left to make it a three-point game, he forced Hammond to have to attempt a three with the clock ticking down. David Patrick’s (9 points) attempt from beyond the arc glanced off the rim and the Oakland Mills celebration began.

Amid a frenzy of Scorpion supporters following the game, Browne credited Whittington for taking the game over.

“He’s really the emotional leader of our team and without him on the floor we just aren’t the same,” Browne said. “Evan (Hopkins) has been awesome all year, Joe (Kiely) is our catalyst, but when push comes to shove Greg is our heart and soul. He wants the ball in crunch time … he wants to make things happen. He’s a prime time player.”

Kiely (12 points) and Hopkins (10) joined Whittington in double figures for the Scorpions.

3A East

For the third time this season, Atholton found itself in a tight game with Centennial. And for the third time, the Raiders found a way to pull out a victory.

Although in the early going Thursday, it was the Eagles that were in control. Centennial jumped out to a 15-9 lead after the first quarter and extended its advantage to nine early in the second.

“We knew that it was going to be tough because it’s always tough to beat a team three times. Personally I know how we feel when a team is trying to beat us for the third time,” Atholton senior Matt Robinson said. “We knew they were going to come out hard.”

It was Robinson (20 points, 10 rebounds) and fellow senior Connor Cortes (6 points) that ultimately helped the Raiders answer. Atholton coach Jim Albert said that the experience of those two, having started on last year’s state semifinalist squad, was huge in keeping the team composed.

“I think our experience definitely helped, there wasn’t any panic … you could tell the guys knew that there was a lot of time left in the game to get back in it,” Albert said. “That’s where Matt and Connor are so big, because they have been here before and they can set the tone for our younger guys.”

Using its press, Atholton turned its nearly double-digit deficit into a 26-23 lead by halftime.

“We got some steals from our 1-2-1-1 pressure, which they seemed to have some trouble with,” Robinson said. “Being able to get out in transition, score some easy baskets, I thought really got us back into it.”

Atholton never trailed in the second half, but couldn’t put Centennial away either. Matt Harbinson (13 points) and Aaron Adams (9) led an Eagles team that had itself in a one-possession game in the final minute.

In the end, though, a 5-13 effort from the foul line and a handful of missed open jump shots proved too much to overcome.

“If we hit a couple of those free throws, make a few of those shots around the basket that we had, it’s a different game,” Centennial coach Chad Hollwedel said. “We did a great job sticking to the game plan and we put ourselves in position. Atholton just capitalized a few more times than we did tonight.”

Atholton, which finished the regular season 8-12, now has itself in the region finals for the second straight year. The Raiders will travel to play top-seeded Stephen Decatur, which beat Mt. Hebron, 48-42, on Thursday.

“It says a lot about our guys character, because we very easily could have folded up the tent,” Albert said in reference to a stretch of 11 losses in 13 games during the second half of the regular season. “It’s been a long season with plenty of obstacles, but the guys never stopped believing we were good enough to win games. And now we’re pulling it all together at the perfect time.”

Box Scores:

Oakland Mills 64, Hammond 61 OT

OM: Whittington 25, Kiely 12, Hopkins 10, Bethea 9, Mallory 8.

Ha: Turner 24, Bjerre 12, Blossom 10, Patrick 9, Baboolal 4, Terry 2.

Atholton 46, Centennial 41

C: Harbinson 13, Adams 9, Myles Ocadiz 6, Edmonds 6, Anderson 3, Stefan 2, Marcos Ocadiz 2.

A: Robinson 20, Cortes 6, Tennessee 5, McMahon 4, Quail 4, Wells 4, Britton 3.

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