No. 2 Hammond girls basketball closes out perfect regular season with 62-51 win over Oakland Mills
Perfection.
It’s something every team strives for yet is rarely achieved. Tuesday night at Oakland Mills, No. 2 Hammond girls basketball put the finishing touches on an undefeated regular season in a 62-51 win over the Scorpions.
The journey to that unblemished record began far before the season’s opening tipoff, back to when Ayanna Jones was first hired. Jones, now in her second season leading the team, took over a Golden Bears program with its fair share of past struggles. Since reaching the 2002 state title game, Hammond’s lone winning season came in 2018-19.
A new leader brought a new vision, as Jones sought to change the program and make it her own. From the get-go, Jones instilled a hard-working mindset in her players.
“I think it’s all about pushing yourself and hard work,” senior Asia Mitchell said of Jones’ message. “She’s really made it known that we have to be ourselves on the court, but also work as a team. Basketball is not an individual sport. Yes, it has individual moments, but you have to be a team and work as a team in order to achieve what you want.”
That mentality has quickly become contagious for Hammond (22-0, 16-0 Howard County), who averagines nearly 60 points a game while holding opponents to less than 30. Hard work is evident throughout the roster and spearheaded by the team’s three leading scorers: Nia Green, Sara Yarnell and Mitchell.
That team-first mindset has led to an unselfish offense and a relentless defensive intensity predicated on communication and supporting one another. Those core principles flashed last season as the Golden Bears showed marketable improvement, finishing third in the county standings and going 17-6 overall. Yet those positive strides came to a premature end with a first-round playoff exit.
Instead of getting discouraged, Hammond used the loss as fuel entering the 2023-24 campaign. With many of their top players back, the Golden Bears have elevated those values to new heights.
“It felt good to have those 17 wins of course, but I knew we could do more,” Jones said. “Coming into this year especially, I knew the kind of season that we could have. I was just trying to instill that in them every single day, working hard to get there. It really shows, every single time that we step on this court, how much they want it, how much they believe in themselves, how much they believe in each other.”
Hammond began the season with a challenging test against the Scorpions, hanging on for a four-point win. After dominating its first 10 games, Hammond faced a key litmus test on Jan. 10 against reigning Class 3A state champion and seven-time defending county champion Howard.
On that night, Hammond asserted its will in a commanding 57-29 win, another indication that this Golden Bears’ team was different than prior years. Two weeks later, Hammond handedly defeated another one of Howard County’s top teams, River Hill by 18.
While those wins served as statements to those outside the program, to those inside, it merely reinforced Hammond’s game-by-game mindset.
“We came into each and every game, even though we’re 22-0 with the same mindset: it’s 1-0,” Yarnell said. “We’re coming in here to win, that’s the goal. It’s nothing about what our record says, we come here to win.”
That mentality was pivotal Tuesday against the Scorpions, who entered the game as the only county team Hammond defeated by less than 10. Hammond used its size advantage to build a 14-point halftime lead, controlling the glass and creating second and third-chance opportunities. Mitchell (17 rebounds) and Yarnell (10 rebounds) headlined that rebounding effort, while Green created offense off dribble penetration.
However, Hammond’s lead quickly dissipated. Oakland Mills (15-6, 13-3) came out of the break scorching with 11 consecutive points, highlighted by 3-pointers from Destiny Macharia and Heaven Alexander. While the energetic Scorpions’ crowd willed on the comeback, Green decided it was time to take control. The senior scored 12 points in the frame as Oakland Mills struggled to contain her off the dribble.
Those moments epitomized the veteran’s control over the game, as she finished with a triple-double (20 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists). Green’s efforts pushed Hammond’s lead to 11 after three quarters.
Hammond remained in control the rest of the way with the seconds winding down and the visiting crowd serenading them with chants of “22-0”. The Golden Bears have their eyes set on loftier goals, but for now, they’ve reset the narrative surrounding a once perennially struggling program.
“We’re really proud,” Green said. “I’m just proud of our team. We really worked hard for this. I know people might think what they want to, but we work really hard every day in practice. We really wanted it this year. I’m proud of us, proud of Hammond because we changed the narrative of Hammond. This is really a big thing for us.”
Hammond — 19 17 17 9 — 62
Oakland Mills — 14 8 20 9 — 51
HA: Nia Green 20, Sara Yarnell 15, Asia Mitchell 12, Delani Thomas 11, Alexis Wright 4.
OM: Heaven Alexander 18, Chloe Grenway 9, Jeriah Shipp 7, Destiny Macharia 6, Adey Alexander 5, Lena Smartt 4, Alia West 2.