St. Frances girls earn No. 24 national rank
Roundup

By Katherine Dunn
Baltimore Sun reporter
January 13, 2006

St. Frances' girls basketball team is ranked No. 24 in the nation this week by USA Today.

Coach Jerome Shelton's Panthers (14-0) who are ranked No. 1 in The Sun, are the first Baltimore-area girls team to crack the USA Today Top 25 since 1999, when McDonogh finished 26-0 to earn the No. 25 spot.

"This team has a great work ethic and the girls are appreciative of the recognition," Shelton said. "But they understand what we're playing for here. We're playing to win another championship."

Three-time defending Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference champions, the Panthers will put their ranking on the line tomorrow when they travel to meet Riverdale Baptist at 3 p.m.

St. Frances is ranked No. 6 in the East region, and Riverdale Baptist is No. 7 in the East. Riverdale Baptist was beaten last week by The Sun's third-ranked team, Western.

"We know that they are a formidable opponent and we're playing them on their home court," Shelton said. "We expect a great challenge from them, but I think we're up to it."