Old Mill's girls basketball team won the right to defend its Class 4A state championship with a 62-32 rout of visiting Broadneck in Friday night's 4A Region IV finals.

The top-seeded Patriots (23-1), winners of 18 straight, received the usual balanced scoring, led by junior forward Stacy Himes with 14 points. She also had six rebounds, four steals and one block.

In all, 12 different Patriots scored, including junior guard Lee Ann Lezzer with eight points and junior center Debbie Dawson with seven.

The second-seeded Bruins (20-4), who also lost to Old Mill in last year's regional finals, were led by senior center Jen Chapman's eight points.

The Patriots' defense held Broadneck to four first-half field goals, as Old Mill took a 26-14 lead into the locker room. And the rest was easy, with the Bruins managing only four third-quarter points.

Old Mill begins play in the state tournament Thursday afternoon at Catonsville Community College.