For eighth-ranked Arundel, the second half definitely was Hammond time.
Chavonne Hammond scored 10 of her 14 points in the second half and helped visiting Arundel control the boards by finishing with 18 rebounds as the Wildcats defeated No. 20 Broadneck, 44-27, last night.
Both teams struggled on offense early, and Arundel (16-0) held an 18-16 lead at the break. But Hammond, a 5-foot-11 junior forward, sparked a 16-3 run in the third and fourth periods that put the game away.
She scored eight straight points and finished with 10 of the 16 as the Wildcats turned a 25-20 nail-biter into a 41-23 rout.
"She stepped up in the second half," said Arundel coach Lee Rogers. "Everything centers around her."
Hammond did not do only one thing to be effective. For example, she would post up high or low, hit turnaround bank shots or make a quick move to the basket for a layup. She also often made strong passes, finishing with three assists.
In addition, Hammond proved a tough force inside, blocking five shots. Combined with 5-9 junior Jenny Mottar (13 points, 11 rebounds), the Wildcats controlled play inside.
But when Arundel stayed patient and ran its offense, everything really clicked. It did a much better job of passing in the second half, which let Hammond go to work.
"In the beginning, we weren't setting up our offense," said Hammond. "We were just coming down and shooting the ball. In the second half, we set up our offense and ran it like we do in practice."
Shannon Noon (five assists, eight rebounds) helped run the Arundel offense effectively. The Wildcats, who made only 10 of 30 from the field in the second half, also got help from LaChelle McHenry (eight points).
Arundel also did a nice job of running time off the clock in the fourth quarter. As Broadneck tried to rally, the Wildcats used most of the 30-second clock each time down the court.
The Wildcats got even bigger help from their defense. They threw a large variety of looks at Broadneck (11-5), and the Bruins struggled to find shots or to finish them.
Broadneck finished the night 12-for-57 from the field. The Bruins, led by Jessica Marshall (nine points) and Alicia Nagowski (six points), often suffered long dry spells that made comebacks difficult.
In the second half, for example, they went 3:52 without a point and 9:01 scoring only three as Arundel took command.
"Everyone looks at how many points we score, but never how many we don't allow," said Rogers.
And Arundel did not allow much. For example, the Bruins scored only four points apiece in the first and fourth quarters and seven in the third period.
They never found the range shooting, missing 18 of their final 21 shots and barely outscoring Hammond herself -- 11-10 -- in the second half.
"I thought neither team shot very well," said Broadneck coach Bruce Springer. "Unfortunately, they were able to shoot a little better."