State Finals are incoming! Girls Varsity Basketball defeated North Point High School 51-31 on their home court in the State Semifinals to advance.
The State Finals will be held tonight at 9:00 p.m. at the University of Maryland, College Park.
The team will face Clarksburg High School, against whom they hold a 1-1 record this year. They lost their first meeting in the regular season but defeated them in the County Championship after overcoming a 14-point deficit in the second half.
The semifinal game was close through the first half, with most of the starters getting into foul trouble early in the game. By the second quarter, all but one starter had two fouls each, leading to many players spending more time on the court than they were used to. Most notably, Sophomore Ashley Agard came off the bench and played for 12 minutes. She excelled, playing lockdown defense and grabbing five rebounds while keeping the starters out of more foul trouble. “It felt exciting being able to step up and contribute,” Agard said.
In the first half, North Point tied the score at 21 before the Barons shifted into a higher gear to secure the victory.
Junior Elisha Robinson also took on a much bigger role, adapting to her fellow starters sitting most of the game. She played all but one minute of the game holding it down on the defensive end, managing six steals. She also facilitated a lot of the points, dishing out nine assists. Looking back on how far the team has come, Robinson highlighted their strides on defense. “This season we have really improved defensively. Our on-ball pressure has gotten a lot better which has allowed us to force turnovers and get stops.” Senior Anna Tercyak and Junior Jaylin Harried led the scoring with 16 and 11 points, respectively.
Clarksburg is the only MCPS team to beat the Barons this season. With the State Championship on the line, both teams are sure to leave everything on the court.
