No fall thanks largely to Autumn
Freshman’s late 3-point play gives Eagles 2nd straight title
McDonogh freshman Autumn Fleary drove the baseline and made an acrobatic layup as she was falling to the floor after being fouled by a St. Frances defender with 6.8 seconds left in the game Monday.
Her fiery scream came before she converted the ensuing go-ahead free throw, giving the Eagles a 48-47 lead in the third and most important matchup against the Panthers this season.
It was then fitting that McDonogh senior and team leader Makaela Quimby made two free throws in the final seconds to secure a 50-47 victory and a second straight Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference championship at Harford Community College’s APGFCU Arena.
It’s the Eagles’ fifth title overall since 2000. St. Frances had won five straight titles before McDonogh ended its run last year with a 77-65 win in the title game.
“It’s been a long journey to get to this day, and we didn’t get this far to lose,” said Fleary, who had 17 points. “St. Frances played wonderfully.
“This game could have gone either way, but we lucked out and got this win. We just had to stay positive, positive, positive.”
Anaiah Jenkins and Quimby, a Wake Forest commit, scored nine apiece to help pace the Eagles (23-2), who, with just two seniors — Quimby and Jenkins — used the same type of tenacity to capture another championship.
“This is a really special group,” McDonogh coach Brad Rees said. “I’ve been doing this a long time on the court and off the court, and our senior leadership was phenomenal.
“I’m very proud of this group. It would have been heart-wrenching not to win.”
The Panthers (23-4) took their first lead of the second half on a layup by Kameryn
Dorsey (six points) with 5 minutes, 38 seconds left. A 3-pointer and jumper by Ande’a Cherisier (nine points) and layup by Dorsey provided a 43-39 margin with 1:43 remaining.
McDonogh later tied the game at 45 on three free throws by Fleary.
“Autumn is amazing,” Quimby said. “I’m so sad that I’m going to have to play without her next year. You would think she’s a fifthyear senior, not a freshman. She’s great.”
St. Frances regained the lead on an improbable layup under the basket by Kimmya Hicks (18 points) with 15 seconds left. However, it was Fleary who provided the final heroics with her three-point play in the closing seconds that set off a raucous celebration in the gym.
The Panthers threw away the ensuing
inbound pass and were forced to foul Quimby, who ended any comeback chance.
“As a freshman to take on that responsibility and do what she did says a lot about her as a player,” St. Frances coach Jerome Shelton said of Fleary.
The teams split their regular-season meeting, with the visiting team winning each game. The Panthers took down McDonogh 56-49 on Jan. 13, while the Eagles avenged that loss with a 59-48 victory two weeks later.
St. Frances appeared in the title game for the 14th time, the most of any team.
NO. 1 MCDONOGH 50, NO. 2 ST. FRANCES 47 M — Fleary 17, Quimby 9, Locke 7, Umeh 6, Jenkins 9, McKennie 2. Totals: 1518-27
SF — Payen 2, Osby 7, Sutton 2, Dorsey 6, Hicks 18, Suggs 5, Cherisier 9. Totals: 187-15