Three-time All-Metro guard Dionna White often overshadows the fine supporting cast on her Milford Mill girls basketball team, but not in Thursday night's Class 3A state semifinal.
Although White led the defending state champions with 24 points, Deja McKenzie, Taylor Bolden, Makenzie Pollard and Kierra Jackson played critical roles in a 61-46 victory over No. 6 Poly at Towson University's SECU Arena that sent the No. 4 Millers back to the title game.
Milford Mill (24-1) will go for its third state championship when it meets Urbana, a 67-58 winner over Westlake in the other Class 3A semifinal, for the championship at 8 p.m. Saturday at SECU Arena. The Hawks, from Frederick County, never have won a state title and are in the championship game for the first time since 2001.
As they did in the regional final win over No. 5 Aberdeen, McKenzie, Pollard and Jackson gave the Millers an inside presence, combining for 28 points and 25 rebounds. Milford Mill outrebounded Poly 39-38.
"They were actually very strong," McKenzie said, "but we had to box them out. And on our defensive side, we didn't let them get too much inside game going because we knew that if they got more rebounds and put up more shots, it would be a closer game, so we tried to limit that."
Bolden, their point guard, had eight points and a handful of assists. She also played a key role when Poly's zone moved tried to trap White every time she touched the ball.
The Millers broke away early, sparked by McKenzie's feed to Pollard and White's layup, which powered a 12-2 run and boosted their lead to 15-6 with 1:52 left in the first quarter.
Poly (23-4) closed within five several times, but the Millers got a big half from 5-foot-11 forward McKenzie, who had eight points and seven rebounds entering halftime, and 5-9 forward Pollard, who scored six. White added 12 points.
Bolden closed out the half with two assists, first to Kierra Jackson for a layup and then to White on a play that started with McKenzie's steal, pushing Milford Mill's lead to 34-20.
The Engineers cut the lead to 11 with a 5-0 run midway through the third quarter. Tylea Galloway's free throw brought Poly within 39-28, but Pollard fed White on a give-and-go, and the Millers boosted their lead to 44-30 after White stole the ball and converted a free throw off the ensuing foul with 1:34 left in the third quarter.
The Millers' victory avenged a couple of losses over the past five seasons to the Engineers at The Basketball Academy and added to Poly's playoff frustrations. The Engineers have been to the semifinals four straight times without a title, and they reached the final only once, in 2013.
Aneah Young led Poly with 12 points and 11 rebounds.