MARYLAND GIRLS' BASKETBALL ROUNDUP
Hislop Helps Paint Branch Rally
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Sunday, March 8, 2009
Tarik Hislop led all scorers with 27 points and sparked No. 3 Paint Branch to a 58-55 come-from-behind victory over host Urbana last night in the Maryland 3A West region championship game.
The 12th-ranked Hawks (24-1) had their season come to a sudden and teary end. Meanwhile the Panthers (23-2) are in pursuit of a second straight state title. They will host Western Thursday at 9 p.m. in the 3A semifinals at UMBC.
Paint Branch was facing one of its largest deficits of the year when it trailed 32-24 at the beginning of the third quarter, mostly because the Panthers shot poorly from the free throw line during the first half. They connected on just 7 of 18 attempts.
They were better in the second half, making 13 of 19 free throws, including key shots that kept a tenacious Urbana team at bay during the final minutes.
When Urbana went on runs in the third quarter, Hislop answered with timely scores to keep Paint Branch close. Midway through the period, she hit a three-pointer that pulled her team to 36-30.
Two possessions later, she made a floater in the lane, drew the contact and swished the free throw. On their next trip down the floor, Hislop made a deep three-pointer from the right side to bring the Panthers within a point.
"I was in a zone," Hislop, a James Madison signee, said.
She shouldered the offensive load in the fourth quarter as well, scoring eight points off screens and from the free throw line. Paint Branch hasn't lost to an area team since March 2007.
Roosevelt Alive for Five
As second-ranked Eleanor Roosevelt stumbled into the locker room following a first half that included plenty of turnovers and missed free throws, there was little doubt it was up to guard Elashier Hall and center Olivia Applewhite -- the team's senior leaders -- to turn things around and keep alive the Raiders' drive for a fifth consecutive Maryland 4A championship.
Applewhite and Hall responded by combining for 16 points in the decisive third quarter and leading Roosevelt to a 50-39 victory over C.H. Flowers in the 4A South region final before 1,500 at Wise High in Upper Marlboro.
"The seniors stepped up and acted like seniors," Raiders Coach Rod Hairston said.
Roosevelt, 22-1 with a 19-game winning streak, trailed the entire first half before battling back to tie the game at 22 at intermission. The Raiders were 8 of 23 from the foul line at the half, and Applewhite twice missed two free throws.
