closely guarded?

[Troward]

NFHS:
B1 is closley guarding A1, who is 3 feet from him and dribbling in place trying to run out the clock with the lead at the end of a close game. A1 takes two hard steps directly towards the basket. Defender B1 retreats on the jab steps but stays within 4-5 feet of A1. A1 probably could have beaten B1 to attempt a lay up, but instead he holds up again, he is just trying to run out the clock.

Does the closely guard count continue through out this scenario or does it end when A1 attacks the basket for those 2 steps?