Western's Raiya McKnight doesn't get nervous at the free-throw line, and the No.14 Doves needed her nerves of steel to fight off No. 11 Dunbar in overtime Tuesday night.
McKnight scored all 18 of her points in the second half and overtime, including 10 of 12 from the free-throw line, as the host Doves made a tight Baltimore City DivisionI race tighter with a 74-66 victory against Dunbar.
"It's a huge win," she said. "We're finally coming into our own. Dunbar was undefeated [in the division], but this is our house, and we've got to protect our house."
The senior guard's calm demeanor stood out in a frantic late-game pace before a raucous crowd at Western. Her last two free throws, with 1:02 left, all but sealed the win, boosting the Doves to a 72-66 lead that matched their largest edge of the game.
"I just blocked everything out, took my time like I do in practice," said McKnight, who has shot about 78 percent from the line for her career.
The Doves, who got 21 points from Tenicia Spence, improved to 11-7 overall and 5-2 in Division I, while the Poets dropped to 12-3 and 6-1. Both teams remain in a crowded division race with No. 7 Poly (6-1), No. 8 Digital Harbor (4-2) and City (7-0), which took over sole possession of the top spot after defeating Digital, 45-39, on Tuesday. The top two teams in the division will meet for the city championship.
On Tuesday, the Poets looked as though they would stay perfect in the division when they used the high-low post game of 5-foot-9 forward Michelle Wright and 6-3 center Oma-ah Tayong to power an 18-2 run that gave them a 32-18 second-quarter lead. Wright finished with 28 points and 11 rebounds, and Tayong had 17 points and 29rebounds. Tayong grabbed 18 rebounds in the first half as the Poets dominated the glass 32-15.
By halftime, the Doves had cut the lead to 32-26. Their zone defense in the second half helped them get position on Tayong and better contain the Poets' inside game. Western finished a 14-point run that started before the break to pull even at 32. After that, the score was tied seven times.
With 1:47 left in regulation, Sierra Johnson fed Tayong for a 64-63 lead that held up for a minute and a half before McKnight was fouled on a rebound. She hit the first free throw to force overtime.
McKnight scored on a feed from Spence to open the overtime period. Wright tied it with a layup with 2:55 to go, but the Poets didn't score again. Spence then found Brielle Ward open under the basket and Ward returned the favor for a 70-66 lead with 1:02 to go before McKnight polished off the scoring.
"I told my girls this could be a game of runs," Dunbar coach Wardell Selby said, "and [Western] wound up with the run that brought them back in the third quarter. Then we were trying to force it sometimes in overtime."