Katie Reck exemplifies the kind of determination that carried Centennial to its sixth regional field hockey championship yesterday at Howard.

She and her teammates held off an unwavering Lions offense in the second half to claim the Class 2A South regional title, 1-0.

With the victory, the Eagles advanced to the 2A state semifinals against North champion Towson at 12:30 p.m. Monday at Goucher College.

The senior sweeper played despite three stitches in her leg, an injury suffered when hit by a stick during a physical semifinal win Thursday over Hammond.

"For Katie, just to be on the field shows the heart of a champion," said Eagles coach Gail Purcell. "She's been our vocal leader all season."

State champions in 1995, the Eagles fought off second-half fatigue yesterday after dominating offensively in the first half.

No. 15 Centennial (14-3) had nine corners in that half, but didn't score until 1:47 remained on a shot by Chelsea Parks.

"Chelsea made a nice little flick," Purcell said. "She's just a sophomore, but she's been a sparkplug for us."

Purcell also praised the play of Nadia Clendening on attack. "She played big and was all over the field."

Howard (6-9) had five corners and three shots in the second half, after not getting a shot or a corner in the first half.

"Everyone played to their ability today," said Howard coach Rick Oursler. "Our goalie, Callie Same, was awesome. The defense, with Liz Diamond and Katie Rinebolt, was solid."

The Lions, winners of just three games entering the playoffs, had upset top-seeded Owings Mills in overtime in the quarterfinals, 1-0, and then rallied from a 1-0 halftime deficit to beat Catonsville in the semifinals, 2-1, on Thursday.

Howard, whose only regional title was in 1996, had two good chances to score yesterday. One shot missed by a foot midway through the second half. Later, Centennial goalkeeper Dayna Eng was on the ground and the ball was loose, but the Lions failed to get off a shot.