Good Counsel Paces Itself, Takes Title

Even as Good Counsel's grip of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference final loosened, the Falcons didn't worry. They didn't wonder how they were going to come back against Holy Cross. After all, they had done it before.

With a combination of a terrific defensive effort and a shooting drought from the Tartans, Good Counsel erased a third-quarter deficit and took control en route to a 56-44 victory before approximately 3,000 at American University's Bender Arena.

Good Counsel avoided getting lured into an up-and-down game by Holy Cross's pressure defense. The fifth-ranked Falcons (27-3) stayed in their half-court attack with precision perimeter and interior passing to claim their third WCAC title in five years.

"The best thing about us was we kept our cool," said Good Counsel senior forward Symone Lyles, who scored 10 of her 11 points in the second half. "We played our game. We didn't play at their pace."

Much like the Falcons did when they erased a 13-point deficit en route to a 67-65 victory over Holy Cross on Dec. 14, Good Counsel spotted the Tartans the first seven points of the second half as No. 13 Holy Cross took a 32-26 lead.

After that, the Falcons went on a 13-3 run and led for the remainder of the game. It was sparked by consecutive steals by senior guard Sarian Snyder, which led to a layup for herself and a long jumper from Lyles, the first two of her six points during the run.

Holy Cross "had a run and we were in a defensive slump," Snyder said. "But defense won us this game. It really does pay off in the end."

Good Counsel's Katie Sheahin (game-high 20 points) scored the game's first seven points, and Holy Cross looked overmatched early. The Tartans (22-8) nibbled away at the deficit, and took an 18-16 lead midway through the second quarter on a driving layup by freshman Dominique Johnson.

Holy Cross's 7-0 run to start the second half consumed the first 1 minutes 46 seconds of the third quarter; the Tartans needed 11:29 to score their next seven points. The Falcons forced eight turnovers and seven missed three-pointers during that span.

"When we got back in the game, we didn't take care of the ball," Holy Cross Coach Russell Davis said. "We got a little stale. Good Counsel did a good job taking us out of our stuff."

Holy Cross could not take advantage of its size advantage inside, as Good Counsel batted away entry passes or forced the Tartans to throw them too high, and, ultimately, out of bounds.

"I've had teams in the past that try to get it all back in one possession," Good Counsel Coach Tom Splaine said. "No doubt about it. Definitely, [defense] won us this game."

No. 5 Good Counsel 56 No. 13 Holy Cross 44 Staying Power: In addition to winning three of the past five WCAC titles -- after going 10 years without one -- Good Counsel has gone 155-36 over the past six seasons, winning at least 22 games each year. Up Next: Good Counsel will face No. 8 H.D. Woodson on Monday in the City Title Game at 5:30 p.m. at Verizon Center.