Fallston girls basketball ends every pregame shootaround the same way. Coach Johnny Woods stands at midcourt while his players’ feet are on the baseline. When he says go, they sprint to him and dive head first to touch the Cougar claw logo at halfcourt, sliding across the hardwood before finding their places on the bench for introductions.

It instills an intensity and relentlessness that Woods’ teams have become famous for. Diving for loose balls, fighting for rebounds and poking passes loose are just what the veteran coach wants — no, needs — to see.

“You have to be willing to do that,” Woods said. “You gotta be willing to get into somebody’s face. You gotta be willing to get embarrassed, because sometimes you might look crazy. The girls who are willing to do that are the only ones who’ll play.”

That was all on display in Fallston’s 37-33 win over C. Milton Wright on Monday that pushed the Cougars to the 2A East I regional final. They held the Mustangs scoreless for the first seven minutes of the game, outrebounded them and induced a slew of turnovers that became vital as the score narrowed late.

Fallston led by eight at halftime and the same at the start of the fourth quarter, and its advantage grew as wide as 10 at times. C. Milton Wright cut it to just three with under a minute to play on an Emma Jankowiak 3-pointer. The Cougars needed to win it at the free-throw line.

Sarah Gent missed her first attempt from the stripe. This exact moment is simulated in Woods’ practices. When Fallston drills free throws, every player takes two. If they miss the first, “I need you dialed in on the second one,” Woods tells his players. Running or another form of consequence follows if they miss both.

Like diving on the court in the seconds before tip off, every exercise has a purpose.

Gent nailed the second, sealing her team’s victory.

“When I missed the first, I just think, ‘Gotta make the next one. Gotta make the next one,’” the senior said. “Always make the second one. That’s the only thing going through my head.”

Said Woods: “They’ve done this a thousand times.”

The Cougars were without leading rebounder and shot blocker Brooke Bolesta, who’s also top five in the state in both categories and was out Monday with an illness. Woods wondered who’d replace that production, and he was pleased to see it didn’t need to all come from one player.

“I had three girls with eight, two girls with seven, one girl with nine,” the coach said as he examined the tablet an assistant coach tracks stats with. “So instead of one girl having 25, I was able to get five girls involved. It worked out.”

Gent and Natalie Wirth, whose 14 points and 11 rebounds led the team, said they expect Bolesta to be ready to go for Fallston’s region title game Wednesday.

Woods is a traditional coach in an era where that style is increasingly extinct. He wears a suit with a neck tie and sneakers that match in Fallston orange. His voice fills a gym, his practices are strenuous, and he’s quick to issue full five-player substitutions when he sees a sequence that doesn’t meet his standards.

His style has worked. Fallston won a state title three years ago and this season is the top seed in its region. That gave Woods’ team a first-round bye, which he actually disliked due to the 10 days off it gave his team. But that additional rest didn’t lead to a lapse in energy — his practices can be just as challenging as games.

“He’s amazing to play for,” Wirth said. “You just never know what to expect. It’s definitely a very old-school way of coaching, and I love it.”

C. Milton Wright’s season ended earlier than coach Mary Buyse hoped, but she saw plenty of growth in her team that will return a promising young core.

The Mustangs reached the regional semifinal and played Fallston a year ago, too, but lost by 40. This year’s team nearly came back in the fourth quarter to win in the same gym. The postgame locker room scene was emotional — coaches and teammates said their goodbyes to five seniors who led that improvement. Still, Buyse is confident there’s another step to be taken next season.

“I’m hoping they can take away the lesson of, it’s always about growth,” Buyse said. “It’s not necessarily about winning. It’s about growth. They’re all happy in the locker room because they played a great game. And I always want kids walking away with a good feeling. They walked away with this great emotion of like, ‘Hey, that was a great season for us. Look at our growth, look at where we’ve come from.’ That’s the big takeaway. That’s what you remember about high school sports, right?”

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