FREDERICK -- For South Carroll, the defense never rested.
No. 9 South Carroll shut down the high-powered Middletown offense for much of the game, but then needed to survive a late rally and a controversial finish to score a 43-42 victory in the championship game of the first Lady Cougar Classic yesterday at Frederick Community College.
Bishop Kearney (N.Y.) defeated Holy Cross, 59-46, in the consolation game. Kerry Ansbro and Rosanne Wahl led the Brooklyn school with 17 points apiece.
South Carroll (7-1) once again struggled on offense, but the strong effort on defense helped overcome that. The Cavaliers made only 17 of 59 from the field, led by Nikki Spencer's 12 points, but the defense wiped out all of that.
"Our defense has been carrying us the whole year," said South Carroll coach Al Skierski. "Until our offense comes around, our defense will have to carry us."
Although Middletown (6-1) made only 16 of 47 shots from the field, shooting did not prove to be the Knights' biggest problem. Finding the shots, at times, seemed nearly impossible.
The swarming South Carroll defense -- led by tournament most valuable player Spencer, Melissa Gettemy, Amber Clutter, Lindsey Vosloh and Erin Nauyalis -- repeatedly slapped the ball away, knocked down passes and made steals.
South Carroll threw Middletown completely out of its rhythm, especially early. The Cavaliers allowed Middletown only 17 shots and 14 points in the first half.
"I think our defense [makes up for] our offense a little bit," said Gettemy, who finished with seven points and seven rebounds.
Rebounding also played a big part in the victory. Although South Carroll held only a 43-38 edge on the boards, the Cavaliers came up with several second shots and rarely allowed the Knights to do the same.
Seven of the 17 South Carroll baskets came on put-backs, and it allowed the Cavaliers to stay in control.
"Whenever we rebound [well], we seem to do better," said Spencer, who finished with 10 rebounds before fouling out. "Our rebounding puts us in control both on offense and defense."
South Carroll led, 22-14, at halftime and still held a 32-24 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Middletown then heated up for the first time, scoring the first six points of the quarter.
Middletown cut the lead to 34-33 with 4:42 left on a Shelbie Ferko jumper. But Nauyalis (nine points) answered on the next possession as she just beat the 30-second clock with a fall-away jumper to give the Cavaliers a three-point lead.
South Carroll still led by six in the final minute. But Meghan Marcantonio cut the lead to 43-40 with a three-pointer with 20.2 seconds left.
Middletown eventually got the final possession with 2.5 seconds left. Kim Irgens (14 points) then hit a jumper from the corner at time ran out.
One official appeared to signal the shot was a three-pointer, forcing overtime. After conferring with his partner, the shot was ruled a two-pointer, giving the Cavaliers the victory.
"Defensively, [South Carroll] played well, and we didn't do the things we needed to do," said Middletown coach Mark Miller. "Hopefully, we learned more today than from any of our previous six wins."