Going into last night's game against No. 8 River Hill, Mount Hebron coach Scott Robinson knew his team would have to shut down the Hawks' All-Metro guard LaKeisha Eaddy for a victory.
Eaddy, however, was too much for the No. 10 Vikings, scoring 24 points and adding 10 steals, six rebounds and three blocked shots in River Hill's 50-42 victory.
While Eaddy was the most potent player on the court, River Hill coach Teresa Waters said there is room for improvement and expects even bigger things from her.
"In all honesty, LaKeisha has played much better than that," Waters said. "On a scale of one to 10, I give LaKeisha a six tonight. Her presence on the court makes a major difference. I don't think we executed that well tonight, but we played good defense. I knew the team that played the best defense was going to win."
River Hill (9-0, 2-0 Howard County) made a run in the second quarter, outscoring the Vikings 19-8 for a 31-17 halftime lead. Eaddy scored 13 points during that stretch and created havoc all over the court.
"I think I played as a team player by getting other players involved," said Eaddy, who helped guide the Hawks to their first Class 3A state tournament last season. "I think I stepped up when my team needed me the most."
Mount Hebron (8-2, 1-1) made a run late in the third quarter as Jill Rekart's three-pointer with 3:45 left cut the Hawks' lead to 35-28. However, River Hill was able to settle down and control the tempo to grab the win.
Senior guard Cari Haas added 15 points and three steals for the Hawks. Mount Hebron was led by Rekart's 18 points.
Robinson said Eaddy was the difference and his team could not find an answer for her. The Vikings went from man-to-man to a zone defense to try to stop her, but nothing appeared to work.
"She is a great player," Robinson said. "She just totally, totally dominates the game. We tried double-teaming her and tried to limit her points as best as we could, but she still had 24 points."
