A one-point margin launches the McDonogh Eagles over St. Frances, 54-53, for another "A" Conference Title
By Derek Toney
After receiving the IAAM A Conference basketball championship trophy Sunday afternoon, Ava McKennie couldn’t hold back the tears as her McDonogh School teammates hugged her. The Eagles won their third title with a 54-53 victory over St. Frances at Stevenson University. Sophomore point guard Autumn Fleary finished with a game-high 27 points for McDonogh (25-4 overall), and Stanford University-bound post Kennedy Umeh added 16 and seven rebounds.
After blowing a 15-point advantage, the Eagles stayed resolute in the final minutes to claim their sixth A championship overall. The Owings Mills school also became the second team to win three straight league titles.
“The emotions I was feeling was thankful, just thankful for everybody we have on this team and what we went through to finish this out,” said McKennie, who will play for the University of Maryland next season. “I’m so happy we finished out strong, we finished out the way we wanted to play all year: strong and to the last second.”
McDonogh needed every ounce of its championship mettle to outlast St. Frances, which battled the Eagles to a pair of tight decisions - both won by McDonogh (49-42 and 47-42) - during the regular season. Sunday’s title triumph was the Eagles’ 27th straight in A league play, including playoffs.
After a disastrous third quarter, McDonogh coach Brad Rees said defense helped his squad recover in the pivotal last eight minutes.
“Throughout the game our defense generated a lot of our offense which helps a lot,” said Rees. “We couldn’t run an offense.”
McDonogh, which led 28-13 with three minutes left before halftime, shot just three-of-18 (missed first eight shots) with four turnovers in the third quarter. The Panthers found their shooting rhythm with four 3-pointers in the frame, capped by Monet Edwards’ dagger with a second left, giving them a 44-42 advantage entering the fourth.
St. Frances (19-8) led 49-45 after Edwards scored off a spinning drive with 5 minutes, 24 seconds remaining in regulation. Fleary answered for McDonogh with a 3-point play, and Umeh’s finish inside put the Eagles back in front with 4:37 left.
McDonogh led 52-50 after a McKennie follow with 2:25 to play. After a St. Frances miss, Fleary got the rebound and threw the ball downcourt to Umeh for a layup, extending the Eagles’ lead to 54-50 with 1:23 remaining.
“The big thing with us is trust and we have to rely on each other even through the ups and downs,” said Fleary, who added five steals, four rebounds and three assists Sunday. “We started off really hot and momentum shifted and we had to adjust…the tough games are always back and forth, but we find a way.”
St. Frances, behind three free throws from sophomore Dahni Suggs, closed to 54-54 with 41.1 seconds left in regulation. McDonogh called timeout with 28.2 seconds left, and Fleary missed on an off-balanced attempt. Suggs grabbed the ball with about 15 seconds to play, and St. Frances called timeout with 10.4 seconds.
The Panthers worked the ball to Zoe Osby, whose short jumper missed and the ball went out of bounds off St. Frances with 1.8 seconds remaining. McDonogh successfully inbounded the ball and celebrated another championship.
Junior point guard Amora Alston led the Panthers with 18 points (five 3-pointers) and Edwards and Osby, both sophomores, finished with 13 and 11 points, respectively.
After trailing double-digits late in the first half, St. Frances coach Jerome Shelton saw his team with an opportunity to win a 13th A title late in regulation.
“We got what we wanted. You got 10 seconds, the ball goes in, we win,” said Shelton. “It’s just basketball.”
St. Frances is the only team (56-49 win last season at McDonogh) to beat the Eagles over the last three seasons. McDonogh is the only team to beat the Panthers in IAAM A play since 2019.
Shelton tipped his hat to McDonogh, especially Fleary, McKennie (eight points, five rebounds and four steals) and Umeh. “They made shots when it mattered. They got stops when it mattered,” said Shelton. “Their seniors played well, Autumn Fleary played well. We got to do a better job moving forward recognizing certain situations.”
Rees said this season’s Eagle squad relied heavily on McKennie, Umeh and Fleary. The Eagles graduate only McKennie and Fleary off the roster. After her freshman season was canceled because of COVID-19, McKennie helped McDonogh to a 43-1 record (70-10 overall) in IAAM A play.
“When we finally got to this trophy, I knew I wasn’t letting it go unless it’s to one of my teammates,” said McKennie, clutching the trophy in a hallway outside Stevenson’s gym. “This means everything to finish my senior year with a win.”