OWINGS MILLS, Md. - Hood's flair for the dramatic continued as Davon Hill(Clinton, Md. / Potomac School) sank two free throws with 11.5 seconds left andReggie Daniels (Abingdon, Md. / Patterson Mill) blocked a shot at the buzzer for a 63-62 win at Stevenson in Commonwealth Conference action.
The win was the Blazers' sixth straight and 11th in the last 12 games. Hood (14-4, 8-3) has won each of the past four games within the final 12 seconds of play and the margin of victory during the current win streak stands at just nine total points.
The Blazers moved into a three-way tie with the Mustangs and Alvernia for second place in the conference standings, one game behind first place Messiah.
Stevenson (13-5, 8-3) took its first lead of the second half with just 1:24 remaining when Christian Roberts found Stefon McCray underneath for a layup and a 62-61 lead. Hood turned the ball over on its next possession with 50 seconds remaining, and the Mustangs called timeout with 28.8 on the game clock. A 3-point field goal attempt missed and Hill tracked down the loose ball rebound and was fouled. The junior guard stepped to the free throw line and calmly sank both attempts to put the Blazers back on top 63-62.
Hood called a timeout after the second make to set up its defense. Roberts tried to split the defense from the top of the key, but found nowhere to go and swung the ball to Alfonzo Hawkins on the left wing with time running down. Hawkins drove to the baseline and released a shot, but the left hand of Daniels swatted the shot out of bounds as the buzzer sounded.
Cameron Cook (Baltimore, Md. / Calvert Hall) led Hood with 18 points and nine rebounds. His three steals tied for the team high and the senior added two blocks to his stat line. Cook sank all eight of his free throw attempts as the Blazers went 14-of-18 from the charity stripe (78 percent).
Justin Bowens (Frederick, Md. / Tuscarora) scored 15 ponts on 6-of-12 shooting, went 2-of-3 from 3-point range and had three steals. Chris Cook (Mechanicsville, Va. / Lee-Davis) and Hill scored 11 points apiece. Cook was 5-of-7 from the field and Hill went 4-of-6 off the bench. Daniels blocked three shots, while Matt Galloway (Sterling, Va. / Potomac Falls) grabbed eight boards.
Early in the second half, Stevenson had tied the score at 36-36 with 16:53 to go, but the Blazers answered with a three by Bowens that started an 11-2 run. A 3-pointer by Cameron Cook followed and, after a Chris Cook bucket, Bowens sank another three for a 47-38 advantage with 13:07 left.
Stevenson slowly chipped away at the lead, but it was not until a Roberts jumper with 4:28 remaining that the Mustangs tied the score, 58-58.
In the first half, Hood trailed 17-15 with 9:50 on the clock, but a pair of free throws by Terrell Buyck (District Heights, Md. / Bishop McNamara) tied the score and started a 15-4 run. A jumper by Hill at 1:55 put Hood up 30-21 before the Mustangs closed the gap to 30-27 at the intermission.
Justin Kuntz scored 16 points in the losing effort for Stevenson, connecting on 6-of-10 field goals. He grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds. Erik Fisher added 14 points and Roberts dished out five assists.
Both teams shot 39 percent from the floor, but Hood's perimeter defense hounded the Mustangs into a 3-of-18 performance from behind the arc.
The Blazers stay on the road with a trip to Arcadia on February 1 at 3 p.m.