By Jon Buzby
MaxPreps.com
Six-time defending champion St. Frances (24-2) came into Sunday night’s Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference title game as the hands-down favorite against Seton Keough (20-8).
But in the end it was the Gators’ 6-foot-4 senior center Asya Bussie who dominated the game on both ends of the court in leading Seton Keough to a 58-38 upset win over St. Frances.
Bussie poured in 22 points and snared 14 rebounds in leading the Gators to their first title since 2000, the league’s inaugural season.
"[Bussie’s] never won a championship, and I think she put everything she had into this game. You saw it on both ends of the floor," St. Frances coach Jerome Shelton told the Baltimore Sun. "I felt that she dominated our two post players, and to me, that was the game."
Bussie received plenty of support from her teammates as the Gators built a 15-point third quarter lead over the Panthers. Sophomore guard Amber Singletary finished with 17 points, including back-to-back 3-pointers late in the third quarter to squelch a Panther run.
The Panthers were led by Tasia Bristow’s team-high 11 points.
In other IAAM title game action, Sam Murray scored a team-high 14 points to give St. Paul’s a 37-28 win over St. Mary’s for its first B Conference title.
In the C Conference final, Friends defeated Park, 32-30, behind Catherine Rosenberg’s 11 points. It was the first-ever IAAM championship for Friends.
Boys Basketball: Lakers still perfect
The Lake Clifton-Eastern boys basketball team, ranked No. 1 in the state by MaxPreps, continued its perfect season by downing Digital Harbor, 67-61, in Thursday night action.
It was a back-and-forth game until the Lakers took the lead late in the third quarter and then led by as many as 12 points in the fourth. But Digital Harbor refused to go away, twice cutting the lead to two points.
The Lakers’ Jason Sharp calmly sank four free throws in the final minute to give his team the margin it needed to win.
Lake Clifton-Eastern’s Cleveland Melvin had a team-high 24 points, while George Jackson led Digital Harbor (14-4) with a game-high 26 points.
More Boys Basketball: Towson Catholic advances in MIAA A tournament
Senior guard Devin Spencer nailed a 3-pointer with less than four minutes remaining to give Towson Catholic the lead for good on their way to a 56-51 narrow win over Mount St. Joseph in the opening round of the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference playoffs.
Spencer, who along with teammate Levi Noel scored a team-high 15 points for the Gaels, was also perfect in four attempts from the charity stripe in the final 26 seconds to seal the victory.
Junior guard Eric Atkins led Mount St. Joseph with a game-high 17 points, and Gerald Hill finished with 10.
Towson Catholic will take on Calvert Hall in the tournament semifinals on Tuesday night at Archbishop Spalding, tip-off is at 5 p.m. The Owls are aiming for their third-consecutive conference crown.
Loyola also advances in other MIAA A opening round game
Senior guard Matt Rum scored a game-high 23 points to lead Loyola (17-9) to a 56-40 win over John Carroll in the opening round of the MIAA A Conference tournament.
With the win, Loyola advances to the semifinals on Tuesday night where they will face St. Frances. The game will be played at Archbishop Spalding, beginning at 5 p.m.
The MIAA A Conference championship game will be played on Friday night at UMBC.
MIAA B Conference semifinals set
Senior point guard Nick Groce nailed a career-high six 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 24 points in leading St. Mary’s to a convincing 77-64 win over Archbishop Curley in the opening round of the MIAA B Conference tournament in Annapolis on Friday night.
Trey Quinn was 9-for-10 from the foul line in the second half to ensure St. Mary’s kept its lead throughout. Quinn finished with 13 points and five assists, while Mark McNeill chipped in with 12 points and six rebounds. Jon Akpapunam also had 13 points for the Saints.
Archbishop Curley (11-16) was led by freshman Evan Singletary’s 17 points and junior Stefon McCray’s 15.
With the win, St. Mary’s (19-8) avenged a regular season loss to the Friars and advanced to Tuesday night’s semifinals at the St. Paul’s School. St. Paul’s went undefeated in the B Conference during the regular season.
Mount Carmel advanced to the other semifinal with a 79-57 win over Severn on Friday night. They will face St. Vincent Pallotti on Tuesday night.
The winners will advance to the MIAA B Conference championship game, which will be played Friday night at Mount Carmel.
Jon Buzby is the Maryland correspondent for MaxPreps.com.