Howard girls pull away, stay undefeated
Reservoir wouldn’t give in early in the third quarter.
The No. 2 Howard girls basketball team led by 13 points at halftime Tuesday, but the host Gators went on a 13-3 run to open the second half to go down by only three points.
With two minutes remaining in the quarter, Gabby Scott put the Lions on her shoulders. She led Howard on a 12-0 run, during which the sophomore forward made three layups and assisted another basket, to propel the undefeated Lions to a 55-35 win over Reservoir.
“We definitely knew coming in that this would be a tough game,” Scott said. “I knew I had to step it up. We played really well today, and I am really proud of our team.”
Scott ended the game with 14 points on 6-of-14 shooting and seven rebounds.
“I thought she did a great job on the boards,” said Howard head coach Scott Robinson. “She had a great inside presence. She’s very athletic. She played well tonight.”
The victory virtually clinches the Howard County championship for Howard (13-0 Howard County, 19-0 overall). After the Lions defeated River Hill on Jan. 31, the Lions were alone in first place in the county standings. While that win put them in prime position to hoist the trophy at the end of the regular season, the Lions still had tough games against Oakland Mills, Marriotts Ridge and Reservoir to follow. They won them all, and all that’s left now are games against Long Reach, Hammond and Wilde Lake — three teams with below-.500 records.
“Two of those games were on the road, too,” Robinson said. “Three good teams there, and it was good to see the girls pull through there. It’s all a credit to the girls and my coaching staff for getting the girls ready.”
The game was much different the first time Howard and Reservoir played this season. The Lions pulled out a 68-63 home win, but Gators star Tiffany Hooker, who is now averaging 26.9 points per game, scored 36 points. Robinson’s defensive game plan was clear on Tuesday — stop Hooker. The Lions held her to a season-low six points on 2-of-10 shooting. They face-guarded her and then double-, triple- and even quadruple-teamed her when she dribbled toward the basket.
“It was basically a Tiffany Hooker defense,” Robinson said. “… We’ve used it before against teams that have a dynamic player. Camille (Malagar) and Samiyah (Nasir) and even Kelly Schluederberg did a phenomenal job on her, and I thought our help was good. We picked her up at the volleyball line, and everywhere she went we had two people there ready to help.”
Both teams are back in action later this week. Reservoir (9-4, 13-6) hosts Marriotts Ridge on Thursday, while Howard plays at home against Long Reach on Saturday.
No. 5 McDonogh 57, Archbishop Spalding 38: Jayla Oden scored 15 points to lead the host Eagles (19-6) over the Cavaliers (9-14) in a Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference quarterfinal. McDonogh travels to St. Vincent Pallotti Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in a semifinal game.
Mount Carmel 55, St. Mary’s 43: The host Cougars (12-12) beat the Saints (11-13) in a IAAM B Conference quarterfinal. Mount Carmel will host St. Timothy’s at 6 p.m. on Thursday in the semifinals.
Maryvale 58, Glenelg Country 42: Emily Knapp might just be a freshman, but on Tuesday night, she played like a seasoned veteran.
The young point guard, along with senior Claire Neff, led the Lions to victory in the quarterfinals of the IAAM B Conference tournament.
The freshman-senior duo had 18 points a piece, and it wasn’t even their biggest contribution to the win. While Neff blocked shots and crashed the boards, Knapp had five steals, setting the tone for the defense.
Maryvale (14-7, 7-4) will face St. Paul’s (21-3, 11-0) on Thursday in the B Conference semifinals.
St. Timothy’s 45, Mount de Sales 32: Host St. Timothy’s (14-3) rode the scoring and interior defense of Ande’a Cherisier (game-high 16 points) and Jasmine Johnson (12 points) to a win over the Sailors (11-13) in the IAAM B Conference quarterfinals.
Mount de Sales was led by senior Megan Matsko (12 points).
Westminster 44, South Carroll 35: Westminster had plenty of motivation to play well Tuesday against rival South Carroll.
Plus, the Owls recognized their three seniors — Lillian Harris, Maddie Olexy, and Mallory Phillips — before their rematch with South Carroll, which beat Westminster on Jan. 14.
More than enough at stake for the home team, which withstood a second-half barrage from the Cavaliers to win 44-35.
Westminster (13-7, 9-2 CCAL) built a 20-point lead in the first half and led by 17 at the break. The Cavaliers (5-15, 4-7) applied pressure on defense and forced turnovers, particularly in the fourth quarter. But the visitors couldn’t complete the comeback despite nine points from freshman Shannon McTavish and six from Rachel Tackett.
Meghan Ruth, a sophomore, pulled down 14 rebounds for Westminster, while Harris grabbed seven. Junior guard Jillian Pumputis handed out five assists, and Phillips had three steals. Olexy scored eight on Senior Night.