Annetta Davis might have been able to carry No. 5 St. Mary's to a victory over No. 7 Old Mill all by herself in last night's Noel Classic, but her coach didn't want to find out.
He was relieved to see junior forward Tara Foran and a couple of her teammates became more involved, leading the Saints to a 66-61 victory at Archbishop Spalding and a share of the tournament championship.
Both St. Mary's (8-4) and Broadneck (5-3) swept their three games. Old Mill (5-2) went 2-1.
Davis had 18 points, 15 rebounds and three steals in two quarters, but the Saints trailed most of the way before taking a 28-26 halftime lead.
Foran had four points, senior guard Kris Miller had none. And St. Mary's had some problems.
"Annetta carried us in the first half," said Saints coach Harry Dobson, "and Tara carried us in the second."
Foran scored 23 points in the second half and made her last 13 free throws in a row. She had missed her first three.
Miller buried a three-pointer to close the third quarter, reducing Old Mill's lead to 45-44. Davis (27 points, 19 rebounds, five steals) made a jump-hook to put the Saints in front, 46-45, but there would be four ties before Foran scored off a pass from Davis for a 59-57 lead with two minutes remaining.
Foran then blocked a shot from Holly Shaffer, and Davis completed a three-point play for a 62-57 lead with 29 seconds left. Old Mill's Tiffany Slade scored on a baseline drive, but Miller and Foran each sank two free throws.
Old Mill's chances at a victory took a dreadful turn when senior forward Kerri Eland (13 points) fouled out just 56 seconds into the fourth quarter, and 6-0 senior Dana Dawson (nine points) followed her to the bench with 3:25 left and St. Mary's ahead, 53-51.
The Patriots had scored 14 of the last 16 points of the first quarter to lead, 17-6. The Saints were 2-for-18 from the floor and Davis had scored all their points, but they went on a 10-0 run to begin the second quarter.
"The turning point was when we gave up the lead in the second quarter," said Old Mill coach Pat Chance, whose team made one more field goal than St. Mary's (23-22). "That showed some bad mistakes and not playing real smart."
Senior guard Tinnell Slade led Old Mill with 18 points and was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.
Broadneck played superbly for three quarters, which was enough to defeat Severn, 68-49.
Sophomore forward Sarah Brino had 17 points for the Bruins (5-3), who led, 41-29, at halftime.
They got off to a much better start than Archbishop Spalding (3-6), which trailed Notre Dame Prep, 12-0, before rallying for a 55-43 victory.