Mallory, Martin help No. 12 Pallotti boys upset No. 1 St. Frances

Junior center Miles Mallory scored 22 points and senior guard Kyron Martin added 17 as the No. 12 St. Vincent Pallotti boys basketball team upset No. 1 St. Frances, 66-56, on Monday night.

Pallotti improved to 22-9 overall and 11-4 in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference’s Red Division, while host St. Frances (29-4) lost its second straight to go to 13-2 in the MIAA A Red. the season.

Nyelle Allen (17 points), Imani Reid (16) and Ashlyn McInerney (13) all scored in double figures to help the Golden Bears start fast on the way to a 66-28 victory over visiting Wilde Lake.

Earlier this winter, Hammond (6-13) needed a buzzer-beater from Allen to beat the Wildecats. This time, the outcome was decided by halftime.

“Honestly, tonight was about getting all our pieces of the puzzle to stop putting unnecessary weight on their shoulders and instead simply play the game,” said Hammond coach Mona Reid, whose team ended a nine-game losing skid. “We’ve been having too many players putting pressure on themselves these last few weeks, but tonight everyone brought their strengths and we got the outcome we have been waiting for.”

Wilde Lake (1-18), which dropped its 15th straight game, was led by Jazmia Perry’s 12 points.

It was the Wildecats who struck first Monday, getting a layup by Nicole Wright in the opening minute.

But Hammond responded by scoring the next 12 points to take its first double-digit lead of the night.

Imani Reid, who scored five of her points during the early first-quarter surge, said she sensed a different feel about the team right from the beginning.

“[The difference was] most definitely the energy, coming from everyone and not just one person trying to lift everybody up,” she said. “Everyone having the same energy, everyone being on the same page, leads to execution on the floor.”

Mona Reid hopes the result is what the team needs to be at its best heading into the playoffs.

“I always talk about that puzzle and how when all our pieces fit, we can be a very tough team. So now it’s just about showing up every night from here on out,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what the record is anymore, it’s just about whoever is ready to play that night is going to be the one that moves on.”

CATONSVILLE 83, WESTERN TECH 38: Jasmine Dickey and Jameila Barrett scored 28 points each as the Comets (17-3) won a Baltimore County nondivision game.

The Comets, defending Class 4A state champions, remain undefeated against county competition this winter.