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At this time last year, the Rockville boys basketball team had one win and entered every contest needing to play its best just to stay competitive.
What a difference a year makes.
When the Class 2A West Region tournament kicks off with Friday's first-round games, the No. 4 Rams will have a bye, having earned an automatic seed for the first time in 16 years.
"I told the guys, ‘This is your team,'" second-year Rockville coach G.J. Kissal said. "‘You did this. You grew up. You were a team that was 1-22 last year. We didn't get an impact transfer that came in and changed everything. You did this on your own.'"
After watching the first round, Rockville (9-11) will host Montgomery County foe Northwood in Monday's quarterfinal. The Gladiators (7-13) drew the fifth seed and also have a bye. They have defeated Rockville six consecutive times, including by 16 points in the first round of last year's tournament.
Both teams thrive on versatility. Though Rockville has a size advantage inside with 6-foot-6 sophomore forward DeAndre Kelly (13.9 points per game), 6-3 senior forward Jonathan Cleveland (9.9 ppg) and 6-2 senior Ed Dyson (13.8 ppg) play bigger than their size for the Gladiators.
The game features an interesting guard matchup, with Ben Kane (7.7) and Wayne Jackson (6.7) battling Gladiators guard Nick Sparacino, a Springbrook transfer.
The winner of Monday's game will likely face No. 1 Century, which plays either South Hagerstown or Francis Scott Key, in the semifinals.
Clarksburg (2-19) has an opportunity to win its first-ever postseason game, as it faces Middletown (4-16). Both are low-scoring teams — Middletown averages 44 points per game, Clarksburg 40 — that rely heavily on speed and aggressive defense.
The Coyotes have no superstar but plenty of balance, with Detric Hodge (8.8), Chris Vigueira (6.8), Sam Collins (6.7) and Jeff Gatling (6.7).
Class 1A
Poolesville (15-6) nabbed the No. 2 seed in the East sectional of the 1A West Region bracket. The Falcons defeated all of the top three seeds in the East en route to last year's regional final appearance. They host Clear Spring on Friday at 5 p.m. in a tough first-round clash.
The Falcons play a competitive schedule against Montgomery County's bigger and stronger teams, recently having lost by just three points to 3A West Region contender Urbana.
Poolesville is helmed by inside-out threat Brendan McFall (13.4), long-range shooter Kevin Baker (13) and 6-4 Chris Soper (7.7).