A little patience went a long way for the No. 16 Milford Mill girls in the fourth quarter of last night's game at Parkville.
Milford Mill coach Pam Wright preached patience on offense heading into the final period of a tight game, and the Millers took control and pulled away for a 48-40 victory over No. 13 Parkville in a Baltimore County Division I contest.
The game was tied at 29 heading into the fourth quarter when Wright pushed her team to take more time on offense. Neither Milford Mill (1-1, 1-1) nor Parkville had done that often the first three periods, but the Millers began working the ball around the perimeter and making passes that set up good shots.
"When we made three or four passes, we can score," Wright said.
They did just that. Candyce Jeter scored six of her 12 points in the fourth quarter, sparking a 10-4 run that gave the Millers a 45-37 lead with 2:27 left. Milford Mill also controlled the game from its half-court offense, as point guard Shonna Scott and forward Qiana Cheatham (15 points) made some big plays.
"We decided to swing the ball around, and the defense broke down," Jeter said. "We saw people that weren't open at first."
The Millers rebounded from a slow start to beat a Parkville team that defeated them twice last year. The Knights took a 13-2 lead after the first period, but Wright switched to a 2-3 matchup zone that slowed Parkville (1-1, 0-1). The Knights scored only two points in the second period and just 27 in the final three quarters.
"That was the difference," Wright said. "We weren't doing anything with the man-to-man, and they were getting good shots."
The loss of starting point guard Kim Vaughn also hurt the Knights. Vaughn was shaken up in a first-half collision that left her with blurred vision and she played only a few minutes in the second half.
Deshonda Barton (15 points) and Patrice Griffin (12 points) tried to pick up the load, but Parkville had problems moving the ball and attacking Milford Mill's tough zone defense. The Knights created numerous turnovers, but they couldn't score.
"We tried to capitalize on the turnovers, but in the second half ... we weren't able to," Parkville coach Allison Shinners said.
The Knights forced 24 turnovers overall, but just nine in the second half and only two in the final quarter when Milford Mill took charge. Parkville committed 21 turnovers itself.
Milford Mill also shut off the lane where Parkville scored most of its 13 first-quarter points. The Knights often fired from long range and never got hot, letting the Millers back into the game after taking the 11-point first quarter lead.
"Our defense did a good job," Jeter said.