For the second straight game, No. 5 Archbishop Spalding held No. 8 St. Vincent Pallotti to 34 points.

But, unlike the late regular-season meeting — when Spalding lost 34-29 at Pallotti — the host Cavaliers prevailed, 61-34, Thursday night in the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference semifinals.

Spalding advances to Saturday's championship game against No. 2 McDonogh at 5 p.m. at UMBC.

The defense was again stellar as the Cavaliers (19-8) forced Pallotti (17-8) into 32 turnovers.

"On defense, we knew we were there," said Spalding coach Bookie Rosemond, whose Cavaliers also beat Pallotti 73-38 in December.

They stuck to the Panthers like duct tape with a straight man-to-man defense and also outrebounded them, 48-25.

Spalding's offense struggled in the first quarter but the Cavaliers still built a 7-4 lead.

In the second quarter, junior Aleah Epps hit two 3-pointers and scored 10 of her game-high 18 points as Spalding took a 23-19 lead into halftime.

She had sensed the offensive sluggishness in the first quarter and took matters into her own shooting hands.

"I knew if I pushed it and kept shooting, it would open it up for my teammates," Epps said.

Meanwhile, foul trouble to Pallotti's interior players, Beverly Ogunride (11 rebounds, 4 blocks) and Tiffany Padgett (team-high 17 points, 9 rebounds) limited their aggressiveness.

"Getting their big girls in foul trouble was a big help for us, because they were the dominant ones the last time we played them," Spalding junior forward Camille Calhoun said.

Calhoun finished with 11 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.

"We made an effort to pound the ball down low offensively, and we got them in foul trouble and we packed the rim," Rosemond said.

Spalding also got hustle on the offensive boards from freshmen Myka Johnson and Kaila Clark, who combined for 15 points and 13 rebounds (9 offensive).

Epps (8 rebounds) and fellow junior Jade Scaife (7 rebounds) also pounded the boards, and six Cavaliers scored at least four points in the second half, led by Scaiffe who had 11 after intermission.

Spalding's defense forced 10 turnovers in the third quarter as the Cavaliers built a 37-25 lead heading into the fourth.

"We get really turned up by our defense," Calhoun said. "We feed off each other's ability."

Despite the loss, Pallotti coach Josh Pratt said he was pleased with the way his team progressed this season.

"The girls have worked extremely hard and there is nothing to hang our heads about," he said. "We lost to a really good team. They are a top team in the area, and its seems like they are peaking at the right time."

No. 5 Spalding 61, No. 8 Pallotti 34

S — Epps 18, Calhoun 11, Scaife 11, Johnson 8, Clark 7, Chestnut 6.

P — Padgett 17, Harrison 9, Davis 5, Sparks 3.