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It's not always pretty and it's certainly not always easy, but the Rockville boys basketball team just keeps getting it done.

The Rams rallied from a six-point, fourth-quarter deficit Wednesday, escaping with a 42-40 win over Montgomery 3A/2A/1A West Division rival Damascus. Junior guard Wayne Jackson rebounded a missed Rams free throw and dribbled out the clock to seal the deal.

After finishing just 1-22 a year ago, the Rams improved to 7-3 (2-1 division) with their new M.O.: Doing just enough down the stretch. They outlasted Kennedy and Southside Academy by three points each, then needed overtime to get past Einstein, 66-58 on Dec. 12.

Four days later, they rallied from a seven-point deficit with just over a minute remaining to squeak past Wheaton, 51-49.

"All season, we've been in close games," said Jackson, Rockville's leading scorer Wednesday with 11 points. "It's like second nature to us now. I think we just played a little bit harder than they did down the stretch."

Jackson, in particular, made a plethora of important effort plays. He capped a 7-0 fourth-quarter run with a steal and fast-break layup to give Rockville the lead, 37-36, with just over 4 minutes remaining. And after 6-foot-6 center Deandre Kelly (9 points, 12 rebounds) missed the back end of a 1 and 1, Jackson snuck underneath several big men to grab the rebound and navigate traffic until time expired.

"We're trying to figure it all out still; we haven't played a good full game yet," said Rockville coach G.J. Kissal. "I think it took time to get the kids to believe after a difficult year, but for five or six of these kids, this is their third year together and they're learning how to get it done. We've got guys like [Jackson] who gets that look in his eye, that grin like, ‘Okay, my guy's not getting past me. They're not going to score here.'"

Center Matt Turner led the Hornets (4-5, 0-1) with a game-high 15 points, while guard Mike Giroux scored all seven of his points in the second half.

Hornets narrowly avoid stinging loss

The Damascus girls hardly resembled the well-oiled machine that won four late-December games in a row, trailing through three quarters before surviving Rockville, 46-40, in the nightcap.

The Rams kept the lead until just under 4 minutes remained, thanks to hot shooting from guard Sara Sousa, who poured in game- and season-highs with 16 points.

But the Hornets (6-3, 2-1) finally came alive late, with center Emily Bowles (12 points, 7 rebounds) putting her team up for good with an offensive rebound and follow. Freshman Michelle Mahon came off the bench to score 8 points, including a gigantic triple from the left wing to extend the Damascus lead to four. The score would get no closer.

"It certainly wasn't pretty; I don't know how many layups we missed," said Damascus coach Steve Pisarski. "But the bottom line is you come out with a win."

Displeased after a slow start, Pisarski pulled his starting five after the Rams began the game on a 5-0 run, and they sat for the remainder of the quarter. The Hornets still trailed entering the fourth, 33-32, but inside chippies from forwards Sam Edwards and Jessie Kaufman kept the Hornets afloat until their final rally.

Forward Meghann Tilghman knocked in 10 points for the Rams (3-5, 0-3), while center Tiarra McDonald added 10 rebounds.