St. Mary's scored a key 64-55 road win over Maryvale on Friday evening in Brooklandville, although the Lions remain in first place in the Gold Division of the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland B Conference.
While the Saints (6-3, 5-4 conference) were nearly perfect from the free-throw line (17 for 18) and crashed the offensive boards with gusto, it was Jennifer Broussard who gave Maryvale (7-4, 6-3) the most difficulty.
The junior guard scored a game-high 30 points to lead St. Mary's.
"They couldn't miss," Maryvale coach Diane O'Dwyer said. "And we lost it in the second and third quarter. We just missed too many simple layups and easy shots."
The Lion coach said she didn't try a gimmick defense to stop Broussard, perhaps figuring the Saint star would eventually cool off in the second half.
Still, after a Lions' rally trimmed the lead to 33-31 in the third quarter on successive jump shots by seniors Meghan Hildreth and Taylor Oliver, Broussard scored eight straight points to hold off the Maryvale charge.
The Lions never came closer than eight points after that, despite some late firepower provided by senior Madison Oliver, junior Lauren Eckholm and Hildreth.
O'Dwyer lauded Eckholm for fighting through illness that made her "Sick as a dog all week," as she battled for rebounds against St. Mary's big frontline.
And the coach praised Hildreth for her steady play, not to mention a team-high 20 points.
"She's steady, constant," O'Dwyer said. "You just can't get her off the court."
Meanwhile, St. Mary's coach Terri Daniels appeared impressed with Saints ability to distribute the ball to the open player, "Especially in the second half, when we settled down to run a play."
Scoring summary:
St. Mary's (64)-Jennifer Broussard, 30; Stephanie Lazo, 4; Leah Hurst, 12; Samantha Mocniak, 5; Kelly Gielner, 5; Delia Ruttum, 8
Maryvale (53)-Caroline Federico, 2; Lauren Eckholm, 13; Sam Stewart, 3; Madison Oliver, 11; Taylor Oliver, 4; Meghan Hildreth, 20