“Fellas, the reality is we’ve got enough talent to get [this comeback] done,” he recalled telling his team. “But we’re going to have to be willing to work.”

When play resumed, Wootton soon recommitted to its defense. A forced turnover sent senior guard Taj Smith thundering downcourt. The Rockets fouled him far from the basket but the raucous crowd overwhelmed the sound of the whistle, so when Smith dunked through contact, the bucket didn’t count; still, it made an impact, as Wootton’s bench popped and “our chest went out,” Graves said.

The Patriots came back to win, 73-66, and are 2-0 without one of their best players, senior forward Yassine Idrissa, who was hurt in their final scrimmage. Smith (22 points and seven rebounds) and senior Khairi Hyde (10 points and six assists) stepped up in his stead.

Wootton is coming off a loss to Meade in last year’s Maryland 4A state quarterfinals. The Patriots will have to contend with two other Montgomery county powers, Blake and Sherwood, to escape a crowded region and make it back to the state quarterfinal.

Smith’s dunk — and the comeback it sparked — sent an early statement to those competitors and others, Graves said.

“This is who we are,” he said. “We are still fighting. We are here.”

Centreville an early Class 6 favorite

All the buzz has belonged to No. 7 Centreville, and the Wildcats know it.

This weekend, the Wildcats moved to 6-0 at the She Got Game tournament at The St. James in Springfield, which was populated with Northern Virginia Class 6 contenders but none as feared as Centreville. Nearly every local coach asked for their title favorite from Virginia’s largest classification put the Concorde District power at No. 1.

The Wildcats hear the noise. They certainly feel different this season. But, after petering out in the region tournament last winter, does the hoopla mean anything? No.

“The biggest difference this year is the grit, the want and the need,” senior guard Jahniya Marion said. “It’s like we need to win. Even with all the write-ups and everything that’s going on, we still want a lot more for ourselves. We don’t care what other people say because we feel like we still haven’t proven enough.”

Around Marion, the Wildcats have constructed what they — and others — believe to be as close to a perfect starting five as can exist among local public schools. Everyone can dribble, pass, score and defend. There is no weak link. The gym is never quiet.

Their ability to harness that depth comes from a sense of shared responsibility — underclassmen are just as likely to chirp at their elders as the other way around — and confidence, instilled by Coach Jo McLane. Every day, she asks, “Do y’all want that banner?” It would be the program’s first state title.

“We haven’t really gotten all this recognition before, and it’s because we’ve always been the underdog,” sophomore guard Claire Kang said. “We’ve always heard like, ‘Oh, they can’t do it.’ So we still feel like this is our year to prove everyone wrong.”

“A lot of kids will never play on a team this talented in their life,” McLane said. “They’re taking advantage of it. And it’s fun to watch.”

Zania Socka, Sidwell Friends: The senior forward was named tournament MVP after the Quakers won the ‘Iolani Prep Classic in Hawaii. Sidwell defeated California’s Sierra Canyon, 49-48, in Saturday’s championship game.

Teddy Morgan, Edison: The 6-foot-6 senior dropped 40 points, seven rebounds and four assists against Centreville, signaling the Eagles may finally unseat Hayfield atop the National District.

Scottie Hubbard, Jackson-Reed: The senior, who transferred in for his senior season, drained a deep game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer to knock off Archbishop Ryan (Pa.) and help his team advance to the Gonzaga Hoops Classic final.

Ryleigh Adams, South River: The junior scored 20 points in the season opener against Annapolis. She added 10 more against St. Mary’s, including a key layup with under a minute left that lifted South River to a 42-41 win.

South Lakes boys at Alexandria City, Wednesday, 7 p.m.

Bethesda-Chevy Chase girls at Richard Montgomery, Wednesday, 7:15 p.m.

Madison girls at Bishop O’Connell, Thursday, 7 p.m.

Largo boys at St. John’s, Saturday, 8:30 p.m.

Gonzaga enjoys first test

On Sunday night, Gonzaga earned its first trophy of the young season. The Eagles won their annual home tournament, the Gonzaga D.C. Classic, with a 55-48 win over Jackson-Reed.

It’s the third year in a row the Eagles have claimed this crown, and Coach Steve Turner knows just how valuable the experience can be, win or lose.

“To be tested this early, this is what we wanted,” Turner said. “That’s is why we invited these kinds of teams to our tournament. There’s always room for growth, and I’m excited to see what we have a chance to become.”

The Eagles opened the eight-team, three-day tournament with a 71-55 win over St. John’s Catholic Prep. In Saturday’s semifinal, they handled a strong Georgetown Prep team, 72-58, leading by double digits for most the night.

“We’re pretty young, but we have a lot of guys that have been here before and that are ready for this,” said junior guard Derek Dixon, who led all scorers in the semifinal with 21 points. “It’s great to get a sense of where you’re at against good competition so early in the year.”

In these early weeks of the season, Turner said it’s more common for his team to find cohesion on the defensive end before the offense clicks into place. That showed against Georgetown Prep, as the Eagles made the Hoyas uncomfortable all night and gave their offense plenty of room to find a rhythm.

That jelling process has been especially important this winter, as Paul VI transfer Christian Gurdak joins Dixon and first-team All-Met selection Nyk Lewis to form one of the better trios in the area.

“This team is really connected. We understand how we want to play,” the 6-10 Gurdak said. “We want to work on our communication, but if we do I think this group can be really special.”

Once the defense is set and the offense is humming, Turner hopes to see his strong junior class find the final, most elusive aspect of team-building: leadership.

“The leadership is coming. They’re starting to talk more, and they realize this is their team,” Turner said of the juniors. “Our best teams at Gonzaga have been player led and if this team can become player led I think we’re a group to watch out for.”

Flowers’s youth shines in season-opener

The C.H. Flowers girls looked a lot different when they took the floor in their season-opener at Wise in Upper Marlboro on Thursday. The Jaguars graduated nine seniors in the offseason — four of which went on to play college basketball — leaving freshmen and sophomores in their place as they attempt to win their sixth straight 4A South region title.

But as Coach Roderick Hairston watched freshman Ava Redmond confidently knock down a three-pointer, help defensively trap a Pumas player alongside fellow freshman Khloe Thomas and funnel a pass to a streaking freshman Asiah Harris for an and-one layup, he knew his team would still be a contender despite its youth.

“Right there I was like, ‘We might have something,’ ” Hairston said chuckling.

Flowers took a three-point lead into halftime against a Wise team that won 20 games last season. Hairston turned to his youth in the third quarter for a spark and was rewarded as the Jaguars ended the quarter up by 16 points. The Jaguars held on to win, 54-34.

Hairston knows there will be growing pains as the Jaguars get acclimated to his “run-and-jump” defense and continue to play top talent in Prince George’s County. But Thursday’s win was a promising sign for a team with lofty goals.