Severn's first win came before the opening tap yesterday when it was assured home-court advantage. And another, more important one, would follow.
But it took some clutch shooting by Monique Jennings, and an extra four minutes, to make it happen.
Seeded No. 2 in the Blue Bracket, Severn trailed after each of the first three quarters before beating fourth-seeded Bryn Mawr in overtime, 46-41, in the Association of Independent Schools A Division semifinals.
Jennings scored 16 of her 25 points after halftime, including eight in the fourth quarter. She hit a three-pointer with 2:16 left in overtime to give Severn a 42-41 lead, and added two free throws with 12 seconds remaining.
"None of our shots were falling earlier, not even mine," said Jennings, a 5-foot-5 junior point guard. "When we were down by four points with a couple minutes left [in regulation], I thought, 'Man, I have to do something.' "
Her pull-up jumper on a 3-on-2 fast break had given Severn a 35-34 lead with 4:46 left in regulation. But Bryn Mawr's Emily Hickman (12 points) scored five straight points to put her team ahead by four with 2:31 showing.
Severn's Kate Graw (10 points) scored off the glass, and after a Bryn Mawr turnover, Jennings drew a foul on Hickman while driving the lane with 54 seconds remaining and made both free throws to tie the game at 39. Hickman missed a running left-hander at the buzzer, but her layup to begin overtime gave Bryn Mawr its last lead.
The Admirals (12-10) will meet Red Bracket-champion Park in tomorrow's final at the College of Notre Dame.
Severn, which locked up yesterday's home game when top-seeded Notre Dame Prep fell to Bryn Mawr (14-7) in Tuesday's quarterfinals, trailed the Mawrtians, 34-29, early in the fourth quarter before Jennings converted a three-point play to begin her own 6-0 run. Bryn Mawr twice had led by double-digits in the second quarter, but Jennings and Sherie Cornish each made a three-pointer and Jennings scored off the glass in the final minute to get Severn within 24-21 at halftime.
"We had ample opportunity to win it, and they had ample opportunity," said Bryn Mawr coach Nick Schloeder. "In a two-three-minute period, they converted and they deserve a lot of credit. They're a nice team. They wear you down. We did the best we could."
Severn fell behind early and didn't take the lead until a Jennings free throw in the midst of an 8-0 run made it 27-26 with 3:10 left in the third quarter.
The Admirals forced three turnovers and held Bryn Mawr to two points in the overtime. They also worked the boards enough to get four shots underneath on one possession before Heidi Hammes drew a foul and made a free throw for a 43-41 lead with 30 seconds left.
Hickman then missed the front end of a one-and-one with 21 seconds remaining, and Graw pulled down the rebound. Graw also snatched a missed three-pointer by Mia Medlin that led to a Lauren Batte free throw with one second left.
Medlin scored all 11 of her points in the first half.
"She was going right and we forced her to go left in the second half," said coach Maurice Jennings.
* Park 51, Friends 43: Rebecca Shapiro (18 points) and Alexa Wilder (16 points) sparked a late Park rally to give the top-seeded Bruins a victory over visiting and third-seeded Friends in the other AIS A Division Red Bracket semifinal.
Shapiro scored nine and Wilder added six as Park (16-5) scored 19 of the game's final 23. Kirsten Campbell (13 points) led Friends (9-6).