Twenty minutes later, Deanna Dydynski could hardly believe it.
Her Mount Hebron girls basketball team had just polished off a 28-0 season with a 55-40 win over Poly for the Class 2A state championship. And the senior forward was still having trouble processing it.
"I still don't think it's really hit me yet," Dydynski said. "It was so much fun playing this year. ... It's a dream come true. It's what every senior wants - to win and to win state. And we went undefeated. I think that's a great accomplishment."
The victory last night at UMBC's RAC Arena gave the Vikings their seventh state title and moved them to the top of the charts, joining DuVal with the most championships in state tournament history. But this was the first title since 1991 and the first for 11th-year coach Scott Robinson.
They won the other six titles between 1980 and 1991, when coach Dave Greenberg's teams were area powerhouses. In recent years however, the Vikings struggled just to get out of one of the toughest regions in the state, one usually dominated by Prince George's County programs.
That made this year's title that much sweeter for a team with six seniors. That, and the two tremendous victories leading up to the title game - 39-37 over Gwynn Park in the regional final and 54-53 over No. 6 Winters Mill in a clash of unbeaten teams in Wednesday's state semifinals.
"For the girls, game after game after game, to keep rising to the moment is just an unbelievable tribute to them," Robinson said. "I'm almost speechless, but to go 28-0 is a very, very difficult thing."
Heading into last night's game, the No. 4 Vikings did not take No. 12 Poly lightly. And it was a good thing, because the Engineers (19-6) weren't there for a Mount Hebron coronation.
Although the Vikings ran up a 17-4 lead, the Engineers cut it to four midway through the third quarter thanks in part to 10 points from Breonna Brewer. They were within five after Shenika Johnson's short jump shot with 3:30 left in the game.
The Engineers, who did not have an assist, used their speed and running game to force the Vikings out of their press and still found openings in the middle.
Mount Hebron made the plays down the stretch, though, including two layups from Dydynski and four free throws by Aja Wallpher, as it scored the final eight points. The Vikings received a big game from reserve Megan Schaaf, who scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. The Vikings win the battle of the boards, 40-37.
"Aside from just the [playoff] run, we've had a really good year," said Poly coach Kendall Peace, who earned 100th career win in the regional final. "I'm definitely proud of them, and the win-and-loss column doesn't always say what you've accomplished."
katherine.dunn@baltsun.com
