Vikings and Bruins to meet in IAAM C Conference basketball title game

2/20/2010

There was no overtime, buzzer-beaters or down-to-the-wire finishes in the IAAM C Conference semifinals on Friday, as Park and St. John’s Catholic Prep each cruised to easy wins to earn a ticket to Sunday’s championship game.

The Vikings and Bruins will meet at the College of Notre Dame at 3:00 p.m.

In Brooklandville, Park weathered a brief rally by the visitors in the second quarter, and pulled away in the second half en-route to a 68-35 victory over Oldfields. Coach Kevin Coll received a balanced attack on the offensive end; in fact, the Bruins came within one basket of having all five starters in double figures.

Senior guard Adrienne Tarver led all scorers with 17 points, including four layups in the pivotal third quarter. Senior Kristen Smith had 12 points and ran the point to perfection. Yet another senior, Lucie Weinberg, came up with a solid performance, scoring 11 points to go along with six assists.

Junior center Ropse Coll posted a strong double-double of 12 points and 13 rebounds, and freshman forward Akira Townes fell just short of double digits with eight points.

Park led 19-6 after the opening quarter. Oldfields battled back by winning the second quarter, 15-13. A JV call-up, R. Mansuri, gave Coach Chelsea Roden and her team a huge lift by scoring nine points in the period. She hit four key baskets, including a three-pointer, to bring her team to within 11 at the half.

The Bruins blew it open, however, in the third, getting steals and turning them into layups in transition. Tarver hit three straight, including the last on a great double-crossover move, to make it 38-23 at the 5:40 mark. Park finished the 23-9 period with a comfortable 55-30 lead and cruised home in the final stanza.

Mansuri led Oldfields with 13 points. Roden’s team was 10-4 in the regular season in the C and finished at 11-5.

“Mansuri had a miraculous second quarter, especially for someone brought up from JV,” said Kevin Coll. “Our guards really did the job on defense. We held their big three scorers to 16 points combined. That third quarter run was the key. We moved the ball as well as I’ve ever seen.”

Park was 13-1 in the C conference, and enters Sunday’s game with a 15-1 league record. The Bruins split with St. John’s in the regular season.

Across town, the Vikings had a delayed departure from Frederick and the game started late, but once things got going, SJCP put it in full gear, running away with a 49-25 win over host Friends, the defending C champs.

Friends had defeated SJCP by three points at home during the season, but this was an entirely different game. After a close opening period, won by SJCP 9-8, the Vikings inched out to a 22-14 lead at the break. A 14-7 third period, keyed by a pair of Hyatt Keller three’s, gave the visitors a 15-point cushion going into the final quarter. The Quakers were unable to make a run and went on to lose by 24 points.

Sophomore guard Mariel Pierce scored a game-high 14 points and senior guard Amy Duncan added 10. SJCP is now a combined 13-3 in the league after two playoff wins.

Asked what the difference was between the regular season three-point loss at Friends and Friday’s 24-point win, SJ Coach Sheldon Henry said, “We shot much better today. And I’ve been preaching defense, and they bought in and really brought good intensity. It was really a team effort, and our freshman center, Christine Hagan, stepped up with a solid game when our starting center could not play.”

Friends finished a combined 15-2 in the C, not a bad season at all considering Coach Matt Lang graduated a core of players off of last year’s title team. The Quakers did not have a player in double figures, as sophomore guard Emma Sissman led the team with nine points, followed by Bealela Donnelly with eight.

“They really shot the ball well today,” said Lang. “Last time we handled their pressure better. They have this year what we had last year, a core of really strong senior guards. Sheldon did an excellent job and they will be tough to beat.”

The Vikings advance and will meet the Bruins on Sunday.

Park 68, Oldfields 35
O: Mansuri 13, Witherbee 6, Beckett 5, Johnson 5, Copeland 2, Muse 2, Santangelo 2. Totals 11 11-27 35.
P: Tarver 17, Coll 12, Smith 12, Weinberg 11, Townes 8, Hohman 6, Mayers 2. Totals 29 8-16 68.
Half: Park, 32-21.

St. John’s Catholic Prep 49, Friends 25
SJ: Ballenger 2, Middeke 7, Duncan 10, Pierce 14, Barrientos 3, Hagan 4, Keller 5. Totals 20(4) 5-9 49.
F: Macko 2, Cooper 2, Sissman 9, Green 2, Lochary 2, Donnelly 8. Totals 10(1) 4-9 68.
Half: St. John’s Catholic Prep, 22-14.