FROSTBURG — A triumphant slam dunk by Cameron Breighner brought the Mountain Ridge crowd to its pinnacle, and it served as a prelude to the end of the Miners’ drought against Fort Hill.
Breighner’s two-handed flush in transition capped an 11-0 Mountain Ridge run to begin the fourth quarter, part of a 16-2 onslaught that allowed the Miners to overcome a one-point deficit entering the decider.
Mountain Ridge wasn’t ready to topple the area’s top squad last Friday, but the fourth-ranked Miners rose to the occasion on their home floor five days later, downing Fort Hill, 60-52, to end a seven-game skid against their county rival.
“We lost to them down at Fort Hill. We had them in the first half, they turned up the pressure and we didn’t handle it,” Mountain Ridge head coach Tim Nightengale said. “We handled that pressure tonight. We withstood their runs tonight.
“Real proud of the boys. They’re believing in themselves and trusting the process.”
The victory was Mountain Ridge’s first over Fort Hill since Feb. 28, 2022, when Dave Hobel, now an assistant for Nightengale, coached the Miners to a 69-35 rout of the Sentinels in the region semifinals.
Fort Hill ended Mountain Ridge’s five-game winning streak with a 66-60 defeat last week. Mountain Ridge (7-7, 4-2 Western Maryland Athletic Conference) returned the favor Wednesday, stopping a six-game string by Fort Hill (7-6, 3-1 WestMAC).
The Miners led by as much as 16 on Friday, but 27 turnovers in the face of the Sentinels’ full-court pressure were their undoing.
Mountain Ridge had just one giveaway in the first half of the rematch, though a 9-2 flurry by Fort Hill gave the Sentinels a 42-41 lead entering the fourth.
The Miners began to feel the pressure, turning the ball over seven times in the third, but a decisive run gave them a 57-44 lead that proved large enough to hold off Fort Hill’s final surge.
The Sentinels lowered their deficit to 57-52 following an old-fashioned three-point play by Landen Sweitzer with 29.6 seconds left. The Sentinels never got closer.
“Mountain Ridge was a lot more physical than we were,” Fort Hill head coach Thad Burner said. “They won their one-on-one matchups a lot better than we did.
“Let our composure get to us. I take fault in that. I lost my composure a little bit and that trickled down.”
Emotions got the best of Fort Hill after its point guard Gamil Daniels, an 11.2 points per game scorer, was assessed a technical foul after the senior picked up his fourth personal, fouling him out of the game with 4:21 left in the third quarter.
Daniels was walking back to the bench when the call was made.
Asked what Daniels said to earn the tech, Burner replied: “He said, ‘I’m not talking to you.’ That’s what Gamil said to the official.”
The sequence appeared to energize Fort Hill, which took a lead into the fourth following a 3-pointer by Noah House, but the Miners were clinical down the stretch.
Breighner, a 6-foot-6 junior, finished with a game-high 22 points. The forward impressed with multiple midrange buckets and made 8 of 11 free throws.
But his fourth-quarter dunk, which brought a raucous Mountain Ridge student section to its feet, was the game’s highlight.
“You’re not really thinking out there, and you do it instinctively,” Breighner said of the sequence. “The environment, everything after it, it was awesome.”
John Delaney began the fourth quarter with a personal 7-0 run, part of his 15 points that included all three of the Miners’ 3-pointers. Ian Duncan also finished in double figures, scoring 11 points.
Jabril Daniels led the way for Fort Hill with 21 points, hitting four 3-pointers and all three of his free throws. Landyn Green was second with 10.
Fort Hill showed flashes of good half-court execution, but with Mountain Ridge not handing the Sentinels live-ball turnovers and easy transition points, the Sentinels struggled to string together offense.
“When we did move the ball, we were able to get in the lane and get some dump-offs,” Burner said. “Obviously we need Gamil on the floor, but just a lot of inconsistencies today.”
Fort Hill began the game with an explosive 9-2 run, and the Miners countered with eight straight points. A Delaney triple gave them a 17-14 lead after a quarter.
Mountain Ridge cruised into the halftime locker room up 29-25, and it led 35-27 early in the third quarter — its largest lead until the fourth quarter.
In the past against the Sentinels, Mountain Ridge has crumbled when Fort Hill made its runs, but the Miners withstood the punches Wednesday.
“We were being patient with the ball, and we were making shots,” Nightengale said. “The kids are coachable, and they carried what we talked about in practice into games. That’s a quality win against a team that has some great players.”
Mountain Ridge is back in action at home against Bishop Walsh (2-12) on Friday at 6 p.m.
Fort Hill (1-0 City League) hosts crosstown rival Allegany (7-9, 2-4 WestMAC, 2-1 City) on Friday at 7 p.m.
Both teams will be desperate for a win. The Campers were upset by Northern, 58-57, on Wednesday, ending the Huskies’ 16-game WestMAC losing streak.
Fort Hill won the first meeting 71-59 on Jan. 10 at Allegany.
“Gotta prepare. No practice (Thursday),” Burner said. “We’ve got to try to get back. That’s what I’ve told the guys. We’ve had a nice little run, some of the stuff’s been building. … We have to be better next time.”