His classmates mobbed his teammates, forming a moving circle on the Chantilly floor. The circle bobbed up and down, arms waving, voices raising. And Will Montgomery, he of the eight fourth-quarter points and game-clinching lay-in, wanted no part of it. So he stood in the middle of the court, accepting a hug here, and a high-five there.

It's not that he wasn't excited about Centreville's 63-60 victory over Chantilly on Friday. He was. He just kept it in perspective.

``It's not a state championship or anything,'' Montgomery said. ``[Besides], we should have blown these guys out.''

But Chantilly wouldn't let them. And, in doing so, the Chargers provided Centreville a reminder of what it must improve on - if the Wildcats plan on celebrating like this later in the season. Like when everyone else is finished playing.

For now, the win, a school-record 14th straight, moved Centreville (16-1, 8-0) closer to clinching the Concorde District regular-season title, and an automatic berth into the Northern Region tournament. One more win accomplishes all of that.

Chantilly (12-6, 6-3) is in second place. Both teams can enter their next game feeling pretty good about Friday's contest. The Chargers proved, when they play well, they can compete against one of the region's best teams. And Centreville proved it can win when not playing its best, against a solid team in a hostile environment.

The Wildcats survived a tense finish when they turned the ball over with 11.5 seconds left, leading by one, underneath Chantilly's basket. But the Chargers turned it over three seconds later on a hurried pass.

``We didn't play on top of our game,'' Montgomery said. ``But I guess we're a championship team and we finished [strong]. We still haven't played our `A' game. We'll get there soon. When we're on top of our game, it won't come down to the fourth quarter. Our scout team guys will finish games off for us.''

At times, the Wildcats showed why they were widely considered the team to beat in the Concorde, and one of the top contenders in the region. Unlike the rest of the district, Centreville returned every key player.

Also, they have enough firepower to compensate for when its top two scorers have an off night. Which they did Friday when Steve Harvin and Nick Smith combined for 12 points - 15 below their combined scoring average.

But Mike Toth scored a game-high 19 points, followed by Montgomery and Will Downey with 14 apiece. They took turns doing damage: Downey scored eight points in the first quarter; Toth added 10 in the second and Montgomery finished with his flourish.

Montgomery, who provides muscle in the middle, also grabbed seven rebounds, including five offensive. He stuck in four missed shots.

```Steve could score 30 a night if he wanted to,'' said Toth, who also had seven boards and is the lone junior in the starting lineup. ``But he doesn't need to.''

Yet Harvin scored when needed. The senior guard, bound for Elon, has been bothered by sore ankles this season. The right one annoys him more than the left, but he said he's close to 100 percent.

Friday, the Chargers' Chris Clarke held him to nine points. Harvin and Smith, usually guarded by junior William Hicks, only attempted a combined five first-half shots.

However, Harvin drilled a three late in the first half, giving Centreville a 30-28 lead, its first advantage since early in the game.

Then, in the first two minutes of the third, Harvin blew past Clarke for two driving lay-ups, the second of which gave the Wildcats a 39-36 lead.

``We were struggling a little bit,'' said Harvin, who ended with nine points. ``When in doubt, I go to the basket, trying to create.''

But he attempted only two shots the rest of the game, making one, as his teammates inflicted damage. That one basket, a 10-footer in the lane, was big: it gave Centreville a 59-58 lead with 1:34 remaining.

But Toth made two free throws for a three-point lead and Montgomery finished the scoring with a layup to beat the press with three seconds to play.

``It's real nice and a big difference from last year,'' Harvin said. ``I had a bigger load. Now I know what my teammates are capable of and I expect them to play to that level every night when others aren't on. My job is to get everyone involved. I pick and choose my time when I know I have to score.''

Like his teammates, Harvin said the Wildcats haven't played their best game. His ankle problems, plus three starters (Montgomery, Toth and Smith) who played on the state-bound football team, have led to inconsistencies.

But only one loss.

``They have so much talent,'' Chantilly senior David Smith said. ``They have great shooters, good post players and they're very athletic.''

And, while Chantilly often attempted good shots, the Wildcats benefit from the burly Montgomery's presence.

``He takes up a big load in the paint,'' Harvin said. ``We can rotate more, take more chances because we know we've got someone who can protect the basket when we run and trap.

``Will is a force,'' Centreville first-year coach Mark Mackmin said. ``One of the things people don't look at enough is he's a good defensive player. He's always in position. A lot of people try to drive the baseline and they just bounce off him. [Referees] won't call it a charge because [the penetrator] can't knock him down. But he's one of our best defensive players.''

Still, the Wildcats have overcome a tiny share of adversity while still winning. The trick for Mackmin is to hammer home lessons during a record winning streak.

This week's topic: rebounding. Mackmin's chief rebounding complaint centers around the Wildcats' boxouts. Too often, they end up underneath the basket. Then the ball bounces over their heads.

If a team shoots perimeter shots, they're in bigger trouble. That's how Chantilly wound up with 10 first-half offensive boards (but only three in the second half). Centreville won the overall battle, 32-30, but that didn't convince Mackmin that the problems are solved.

``[But] the guys are being aggressive, which I like,'' Mackmin said.

The Chargers also did a good job of limiting Centreville's effectiveness in transition, as well as taking care of the ball.

``Chantilly is the type of team that can beat us,'' Mackmin said. ``They have four players who can handle the ball, they have a good post player and they can rebound. If you can rebound well, you can beat us. That's the key to a championship. Maybe [Friday] they learned that. My biggest job is to convince them of that.''

Chantilly controlled most of the first half because of its rebounding and offensive execution. The Chargers took a 6-5 lead on Clarke's old-fashioned three-point play and built it to 28-20 with 5:26 left in the second quarter on a Jared Hale drive.

But Downey followed with a 15-footer, starting a 10-0 run. Toth scored five points, including a three-pointer, during this stretch.

The Wildcats took their biggest lead, 41-36, on a Montgomery stickback with 5:34 left in the third. But Hale's 22-footer with four seconds left in the quarter tied the game at 47.

That set the tone for the final quarter. In the last eight minutes, the game was tied five times and the lead changed hands five times.

Smith and Matt Estes combined for nine fourth quarter points. Estes finished with 15 points and nine rebounds while Smith added 11 points. Hale and Clarke, only a sophomore, also scored 11.

``At Chantilly, we don't like moral victories,'' Chargers coach Jim Smith said. ''We're disappointed as heck that we lost. But that game wasn't a fluke. I hope it tells [the players] that we can compete with people.

``Centreville should be the clear favorite [to win the district tournament]. But Herndon and us have shown that on a given night, we can play with them. Whether we can do it again, I don't know. They're a very complete team.''