Girls basketball IAAM championships

St. Frances wins title in OT

St. Frances celebrates its overtime win over No. 1 Seton Keough for its sixth consecutive title. (Sun photo by Kenneth K. Lam / February 17, 2008)

By Katherine Dunn

Sun reporter

February 18, 2008

The streak lives on for the St. Frances girls basketball team.

The No. 2 Panthers hit their free throws and got a smooth baseline jumper from All-Metro center Kandice Green in overtime as they upset No. 1 Seton Keough, 43-39, for their sixth straight Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference basketball championship last night at Villa Julie College.

Sophomore guard Shatyra Hawkes, one of the key members of a team that had graduated four starters from last season, made the big shots late in regulation to force overtime.

She completed a three-point play, hit a breakaway layup and, with 8.5 seconds left in regulation, hit the second of two free throws to tie the game at 37. In overtime, Hawkes, Deanna Harmon and Tasia Bristow combined for four free throws as the Panthers (25-3) outscored Seton Keough 6-2.

"We wanted this so bad," said Hawkes, who finished with 15 points. "Everybody was downgrading us, saying we're too young, but we came out and did it. We proved everyone wrong that doubted us."

The Gators (26-4) had not lost to an A Conference team in the regular season and had beaten St. Frances, 62-40, on Jan. 7. The Panthers played most of that first game without Green, who was struggling to come back from an ankle sprain. But last night, she was at full strength, scoring 14 points with five rebounds and two blocks.

The Gators had trouble getting into any offensive flow and struggled at the free-throw line, where they hit just 10 of 23.

The Gators led by six with four minutes left in regulation, but the Panthers answered with a nine-point run.

Seton Keough's two All-Metro players, B.J. Williams and Asya Bussie, hit consecutive shots to put the Gators ahead 37-36 with 19.2 seconds left before Hawkes tied it on a free throw.