If there were any questions about whether Oakland Mills' girls basketball team would be ready for the playoffs, the Scorpions erased them in the last week of the regular season.

The Scorpions defeated three teams ahead of them in the Howard County race and rose to the No. 4 seed in the Class 2A South regional draw. Wins over Atholton, 52-44; Mount Hebron, 46-44; and Glenelg, 45-37; boosted the Scorpions' record to 11-9.

Coach Seth Willingham said he was concerned about how the Scorpions would react after their long break for the snowstorms. Before the break, they had just missed beating Howard County champ River Hill, falling 37-35 after going 6-for-16 from the free throw line.

"I was a little worried, because we had three tough games," said Scorpions coach Seth Willingham. "I wasn't too worried about the Ws and Ls, because playing good teams is only going to help us going into the playoffs."

The Scorpions got together to practice on their own during the break, so they were ready when they got back on the court.

The Hill sisters -- senior Nicole and sophomore Jasmine -- led the way in all three games.

Nicole Hill has 31 points, 25 rebounds, 11 assists and 11 steals while also playing terrific defense, holding the oppositions best players well below their averages. Jasmine contributed 43 points, 17 rebounds and 16 steals and her performance at the line, 8-for-10, was a key to edging Mount Hebron.

Patrice Jones helped the Scorpions in the paint with a physical game from the 5-foot-7 sophomore who averages about six points and nine rebounds. Kara Hight had a 20-point game against Atholton despite being in foul trouble. The team also shot well from the free-throw line, hitting 19 of 23 vs. Mount Hebron and 20 of 29 vs. Glenelg.

Willingham said starting four sophomores made for a tough early going, especially against Glenelg and Atholton in the first meetings.

"We made a lot of young mistakes," he said. "At the beginning of the year, they had a lot thrown at them and they got overwhelmed a little. I know they wanted to pay back Glenelg and Atholton. That was a great motivator and they knew they had to win two of the three to get a seed for the playoffs."

The Scorpions have a bye in Friday's first round of the playoffs and they will host the winner of the McDonough/Marriotts Ridge game on Monday.