LANHAM -- St. Frances freshman guard Maya Newman had heard the whispers. There were those who were saying that Baltimore girls basketball wasn't on a par with the Washington programs.

Newman and the top-ranked Panthers wanted to show St. John's, ranked No. 2 in the Washington Post's poll, that they have plenty of game.

St. Frances certainly achieved its goal, though it couldn't come away with a win. Too many turnovers and missed opportunities hurt the Panthers as St. John's scored a 65-59 victory last night in a semifinal game of the Holiday Hoops Classic at Washington Bible College.

Newman led a struggling St. Frances offense, scoring a game-high 26 points. She drove fearlessly, hit outside shots and almost single-handedly kept the Panthers in the game early.

"We came out and we showed them a good game tonight," Newman said. "We're from two different areas ... and it's kind of like a rivalry."

St. Frances coach Jerome Shelton agreed that the game had a playoff-type atmosphere. There was a vocal crowd, a battle on every possession and both teams played hard from start to finish.

"You had two talented teams with deep benches, and it was like two heavyweights fighting it out," Shelton said. "We weren't going to quit. But we just couldn't get over the hump."

Still, Shelton said he wasn't all that upset with the loss. St. Frances (7-2) learned some good lessons against a tough team.

"Hey, if there is such a thing as a good loss, this is it," Shelton said. "We'll take it, and we'll get better from here."

Angel McCoughtry agreed with her coach. The junior forward/center scored 20 points in Thursday's first-round rout of Suitland, but was constantly double-teamed in last night's game and rarely had good shots.

Still, she finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out with 2:10 left and said she thought the Panthers showed their talent.

"We wanted to prove we could play tough teams and that we can handle the pressure," McCoughtry said. "I think that playing this team makes us better. I liked it."

St. John's had a number of strong players who controlled play under the basket and made it hard for the Panthers to drive and create scoring chances. The Cadets also blocked a number of shots and disrupted St. Frances' offense, which never seemed to find any rhythm.

St. John's athleticism helped the Cadets overcome a 28-turnover performance. They often stopped the Panthers or forced them to take tough shots after turning the ball over.

St. Frances rarely converted on the mistakes and had only a few easy baskets. The Panthers made 21 turnovers, and the Cadets were able to convert several of those.

St. John's (6-2) took a quick, 12-4 lead and stayed in front most of the game, but the Panthers kept coming back. They took leads a few times in the second quarter, but the Cadets held a 30-28 halftime lead.

The Cadets kept threatening to pull away, but the Panthers hung on. St. John's twice took a seven-point lead in the third period before Camille Coleman made two free throws and a layup on back-to-back possessions late in the quarter. Newman then sank two free throws to tie the game at 45 with 14.4 seconds left in the period.

But St. John's guard Ashley Whisonant took control of the fourth quarter. Her jumper with 4:12 left gave the Cadets the lead for good at 53-51. She wound up scoring six straight points as the Cadets grabbed a 57-53 lead.

Whisonant eventually finished with nine of her team-high 13 points in the quarter.

She said she didn't realize that St. Frances was Baltimore's top-ranked team.

"I hadn't heard of them, but now I know ... and it's a big deal," she said.

St. John's will meet No. 18 St. Mary's in the tournament final tonight at 8. The Saints advanced with a hard-fought, 47-42 victory over Westminster in last night's other semifinal. St. Frances and Westminster will meet in a 6 p.m. consolation game.

The Saints used the formula that has helped them win all season -- tough defense and good long-range shooting. Bri Gauthier tied a tournament record with five three-pointers and scored a game-high 16 points.

Gauthier also had seven assists and five rebounds, but it was her three-point shooting that was most crucial for the Saints.

"She's tough and money in the bank," St. Mary's coach Harry Dobson said, who added he was especially pleased with the victory because Westminster came in on a roll, having beaten Montgomery County power Churchill, 58-51, in a first-round game on Thursday night.

"It's a good win for us, a super win," Dobson said.

Ten of the 16 St. Mary's baskets came on three-pointers. All five of the Saints' first-quarter field goals were threes and helped them erase a 10-3 deficit.

Jen Walkling had a double double with 17 points and 12 rebounds for Westminster. She was the only Owls player to score more than six points.

"We never got into a rhythm," Westminster coach Dick Ebersole said. "And they can shoot the threes."