Panthers handle Owls, await showdown with Seton Keough.

Players battle for rebound in St. Frances/Towson Catholic game.
 

By Mike Buchanan
 

Too many turnovers and too much Shatyra Hawkes.

That was the formula that did in Towson Catholic on Friday, as St. Frances defeated the host Owls, 66-44, in IAAM A-Conference action in Towson.

One more challenger trying to knock the Panthers off the perch, and one more challenge met and resisted.

Just as McDonogh and St. Paul�s School for Girls and Archbishop Spalding before them, Towson Catholic hung around for awhile. But sometime in the second half of all those games � and this one � St. Frances kicked it up a notch and put the opponent away.

At McDonogh in early December, the Eagles trailed by nine at the break, still within striking distance, but faded and lost by 22. St. Paul�s slowed it sown and was only down five at the half, and went on to lose by 11, the closest scare yet for St. Frances. And Spalding was down by just seven at the half, but lost by 16.

And Hawkes had the biggest say in all three games, leading the Panthers in scoring with 25, 23 and 19 points.

It was the same formula on Friday, as Towson Catholic led by three after the first quarter, and then trailed by three at the half, 24-21.

Coached always preach about how important the first two to three minutes of the second half are, and St. Frances came out and stretched that three-point lead up to nine in little time.

TC scored to pull to within seven, but then, in the blink of an eye, the Panthers got back to back steals and converted lay-ups on both to make the lead 11, 34-23. Both teams were in pressing mode, and TC had a much tougher time handling the pressure.

Hawkes scored a game-high 20, but the most important burst came at that point, as she got a steal and a lay-up, and then canned a three to basically ice the game. St. Frances now led by 16 points, 41-25, and even though more than a quarter remained, the wind was gone from the sails of the TC ship.

Turnovers were a key to the game. Both teams were ragged in the opening quarter, combining for 18 turnovers, 10 by TC and eight by SFA. By half, TC already had 18 turnovers, while SFA did a better job with the ball, and had just eight. The Owls committed 13 more in the third period and seven more in the fourth, giving them 37 total turnovers for the game. The Panthers finished with 15. You can�t beat St. Frances while giving it 22 additional scoring opportunities.

In addition to Hawkes� 20, fellow sophomore Tasia Bristow scored 15, and Sophy Ngobeni had 11. Tyler Hale and Chelsea Dukes scored 16 apiece to lead TC.

The Panthers won for a fourth straight time with senior forward Kandice Green on the bench nursing a high ankle sprain.

When asked about winning without Green, St. Frances Head Coach Jerome Shelton said, �I believe that our confidence in the backcourt has grown tremendously since KG�s injury. It�s created opportunities for others to produce and elevate their games. I felt they would come along quicker than outside anticipation because of confidence, work ethic and talent level, even with limited playing time last season. Green could have returned on Friday, but was held out until Monday.�

Another challenge met and won, but now the biggest league challenge awaits on Monday, when it is a showdown of No. 2 Seton Keough at No. 1 St. Frances.

St. Frances 66, Towson Catholic 44
SF � Hawkes 20, Abiya 4, Bristow 15, Newman 8, Hutchen 7, Benn 1, Ngobeni 11. Totals: 26 10-19 66.
TC �Styles 5, Hale 16, Williams 5, McCray 2, Dukes 16. Totals: 13 16-28 44.
Half: SF, 24-21.

Gabrielle Styles (L, #2) and Sophy Ngobeni (R, #55) battle for post position.