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Gilmer said Rockville’s poor record against Kennedy in recent years served as motivation for Friday’s game. And it was evident in the Rams’ upped intensity, physically and mentally. Often prone to costly lapses in concentration, Rockville, which already lost 56-44 to Kennedy earlier this season, remained poised throughout. And, admittedly, it took the Cavaliers (10-5 overall, 7-2 in the county’s 3A⁄2A⁄1A Division) by surprise.

‘‘It’s really disappointing,” said freshman Alicia Hall, who tallied six points for Kennedy. ‘‘I definitely thought they would crack. But they kept their composure well, even with the pressure we put on them late.”

Rockville (7-6, 7-3 in the 3A⁄2A⁄1A) had the chance to falter late. But at the end, where the Rams have been most susceptible in the past, they were able to put the clamp down on Kennedy. Junior guard Shaday Doyley scored a team-high 12 points and senior forward Mary Gorman added 11 points.

Neither team could build a substantial lead in the first half, which ended a 20-20 tie. The Rams started the second half strong and pulled ahead 29-23 midway through the third quarter, but allowed Kennedy to go on a 7-1 run. The third quarter ended 32-32.

Hall gave the Cavaliers a 39-38 lead with just over a minute left in regulation. But Rockville regrouped and put together a 6-0 run to clinch the win as Kennedy struggled to maintain any sort of control on offense when it needed to most.

‘‘This time we were just calmer,” Gilmer said. ‘‘We were more patient. We’ve been working on playing under pressure in practice, putting a lot of pressure on each other. And we were just able to handle it better today. We played more aggressive on offense but also more controlled.”

Though it’s nice to have a balanced offense, none of the Cavaliers were able to put up big enough numbers Friday. Brandice Walker led the team with eight points. Jazmyn Baker contributed seven points and Hall, Alexus Jones, Lili Pham each added six points.

‘‘I think overall the biggest difference between [Friday’s] game and the last time we played them was we made a lot more mistakes,” Jones said. ‘‘We turned the ball over too much. We just didn’t handle their defense as well as we could have. But there’s nothing we can do about it. Next time we’ll play harder.”

Rockville’s performance Friday perfectly exemplified the progress it’s made in the last three years. The Rams have steadily increased their winning percentage each of the last three years. And, with several weeks left this season, the Rams are just one win away from equaling last year’s eight-win tally.

The Rams, small in stature, rely heavily on a guard-oriented offense based on foot speed. In the past, they’ve struggled to control their fast-paced attack, often turning the ball over excessively. But they’re maturity was on display Friday. And getting that win over Kennedy instilled valuable confidence within the Rams and they’re confident they can pull off another surprise before the season’s over.

‘‘It’s huge to get over that hump,” Rockville coach Mark Crichton said. ‘‘There are a bunch of teams out there still that we haven’t beaten in a while. So, now it’s like, ‘Why not now?’ We’re on a little bit of a roll right now. Let’s see where it can take us.”