The visiting Catonsville High girls basketball team took more shots, had more steals, fewer turnovers and outrebounded No. 3 ranked Milford Mill (10-0), but they couldn't stop senior Dionna White from controlling the game in the Lady Millers' 52-36 victory.
White, a Georgetown University basketball recruit, who came into the game averaging 21.9 points per game, scored a game-high 28 points.
But, the defending Class 3A state champion Millers couldn't salt away the game until she made four straight free throws with 2:16 left in the game after the Comets had whittled down a 15-point Milford third quarter lead down to eight, 42-34, on a follow-up basket by freshman Jasmine Dickey (10 points) with 2:42 remaining.
Catonsville (7-4) trailed 26-21 at halftime when Nijah Frederick hit a three-pointer off a White assist with one second left until intermission.
"The kid's three at the end of the half was a dagger," Catonsville coach Mike Mohler said.
The sword got deeper in the third period when the Comets missed their first 15 field goals and finished 1 for 17 for the quarter.
"For some reason we just couldn't get shots to fall tonight," said Catonsville senior Renee Gast, who scored a team-high 17 points. "We missed like 30 layups."
Gast's three-pointer with 53 seconds left in the third quarter was the only made field goal of the period for the Comets.
In the fourth quarter, they converted just 2 of 15 field goals and they finished 10 for 60 (17 percent) from the floor.
Milford shot 40 percent (19-for-48), but they couldn't pull away because the Comets out rebounded them 41-31 and they forced 24 Milford turnovers.
Catonsville's Dickey (11 rebounds), Jen Gast (10 rebounds), Maja Wichhart (eight rebounds) and Renee Gast (seven rebounds) were strong on the boards.
But Milford's Frederick held her own with a team-high nine rebounds, including four in the third quarter when the Lady Millers extended its five-point halftime lead to 12.
Milford also forced four turnovers on the Comets first five possessions of the third period with White, Deja McKenzie, Makayla Pollard and Taylor Bolden getting key steals.
"Coach (DeToiya McAliley) told us we needed to play better defense and get better on the boards because they got a lot of rebounds on us," White said. "That's our motto — defense. We are always in everybody's face. That's what gets us going."
Defense also got the Comets going, but they didn't have the offense to match it.
"We came out really well tonight," Renee Gast said. "We needed that. That was the toughest we played in a really long time."
Jen Gast had four steals and Wichhart and Dickey had three apiece.
Coach Mohler was extremely impressed with his team's effort in the rematch of last year's Baltimore County championship game won by three-time county champ Milford.
"I couldn't be more proud of the kids," he said. "I actually got emotional because I was so worried because we didn't have a really good practice last night."
But, his emotions will be pure joy when he sees White graduate.
"I told Dionna at the end 'I will not be sorry to see you go.' She is just a magnificent basketball player and I won't be sorry to see her leave," he said.
Scoring
Milford Mill: White 28, Makenzie Pollard 8, Kierra Jackson 6, Nijah Frederick 5, Deja McKenzie 4, Taylor Bolden 1.
Catonsville: Renee Gast 17, Dickey 10, Barrett 4, Wichhart 3, McTaggart 2.