‘Trio of Titans’ leads Oakland Mills past Westlake in region final
Grenway, Riggs, Washington help end Wolverines’ season
Oakland Mills leaned on their three star players en route to a 60-44 victory at Westlake on Saturday afternoon, earning the Class 2A South Region girls basketball title and a spot in the state semifinals this week.
The visiting Scorpions (17-8 overall) will play Queen Anne’s on Thursday at Towson University’s SECU Arena.
In Saturday’s win, juniors Marley Grenway, Aislyn Riggs and sophomore Jazmine Washington combined for 57 points and held off late run by the Wolverines by going 13 for 16 at the free-throw line in the fourth quarter. Westlake managed to get within six in the final minutes after trailing the entire game, but couldn’t pull any closer.
Grenway led all scorers with 23 points for Oakland Mills, and Riggs was right behind her with 22, along with 16 rebounds and seven blocks. Washington had 12 points, six rebounds and a pair of assists.
“We call this the trio of titans,” said Oakland Mills head coach Walt Hagins. “It’s Grenway, Washington our point guard, and Riggs our big. … We have relied on them heavily.”
Westlake (21-4) spread the scoring around in a balanced offense, getting 11 points from Jasmine Gholson, 10 from Latavia Washington and 8 from Taylor Brown off the bench. Sa’niyah Council didn’t start but played most of the contest, finishing with five points, four rebounds and a game-high six assists.
The Wolverines stumbled out of the gate with 11 turnovers in the first quarter, and never really recovered. Their fourpoint deficit at halftime was more a result of Oakland Mills’ equally sloppy play (18 total turnovers) than any offensive consistency for the home team.
Westlake got production from a several different lineup combinations, as eight players played major minutes, seven of whom scored. They just didn’t get many chances to put the ball in the basket, with 22 turnovers.
“Turnovers haven’t really been much of a problem all season, I would say our last maybe two games we started turning the ball over more than normal,” Westlake head coach Marvin Binion said.
Oakland Mills played almost exclusively through their big three, as Washington initiated the offense and the ball usually ended up in Grenway’s or Riggs’ hands.
Grenway routinely streaked down the court as the Scorpions battled the Westlake press, and when Washington or guard Ty’asia Mcduffie broke through, there was the shooter waiting with little defensive pressure.
When Grenway went cold, Hagins began clearing one side for Riggs to isolate her defender, as the 6-foot-1-inch power forward had at least three inches on every Wolverine who guarded her. Grenway had 14 of Oakland Mills’ 24 points in the first half, while Riggs poured in 14 of her own in the second stanza.
“First half, [Grenway] had half their points, she was really killing us,” Binion said. “Second half, [Riggs] picked up where she left off. Those two hurt us.”
The Wolverines battled through the final period, getting within six and seven points on multiple occasions. A Washington steal and layup followed by Gholson snagging an offensive rebound and finishing, with a Grenway free throw in between, made the score 44-38, but Washington preserved the win knocking down 5 of 6 free throws.
The trio of titans will meet Queen Anne’s in their semifinal matchup, who defeated Elkton of Harford County 63-51 on Saturday to win the 2A East Region title. No matter the outcome, winning the 2A South signifies a successful inaugural season for Hagins and his staff.
“It really feels good,” Hagins said. “This is our first year as a coaching unit here, some of the girls’ first year here, and for us to accomplish what we accomplished, I’m extremely proud of these girls.”