Seton Keough

In a softball game dominated by two fine pitching performances, it was Archbishop Spalding first baseman Jean Sonni's quick bat that had the final answer to help the No. 3 Cavaliers sneak by No. 5 Seton Keough on Thursday in Severn. Sonni's sharp single over third base in the bottom of the ninth inning drove home Kelsey Taylor, sending pitcher Emily Weiman and the Cavaliers to a 3-2 win over defending Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference champion Seton Keough.

The 5-foot-7 senior guard played a key role in two wins last week for the No. 6 Gators, including a 60-54 upset over Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference rival St. Frances. Nicknamed "Stixz," Wilson had 24 points, eight steals and three assists in the victory. She also had 10 points, five steals and five assists, as well as providing a critical calming influence for the Gators in a physical 47-43 victory over MATHS. Wilson, who has signed to play at Howard, missed much of last season when she was sidelined with a concussion early and then returned for a few games before suffering a broken nose.

Junior forward Achiri Ade scored 15 points and blocked four shots as No. 6 Seton Keough beat visiting Mercy, 66-26, in an Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference tournament quarterfinal Wednesday night. "We had to get back in the groove after being off so long because of the snow," Gators assistant coach Cassie Puls said. "We let our defense dictate the offense." Point guard Rianna Frazer contributed 14 points and three assists for Seton Keough, which improved to 14-9.

Ijeoma Igwe had 28 kills and six aces to power Seton Keough over visiting John Carroll in straight sets in girls volleyball Monday. Rachel Robinson added 36 assists for the Gators, who remained undefeated and improved their record to 14-0. The scores were 25-11, 25-12 and 25-20. No. 15 Archbishop Spalding 3, McDonogh 0: Kristen Seeba had 23 kills and 13 digs to lead the Cavaliers (12-4) over the visiting Eagles in an Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland quarterfinal.

Seton Keough's basketball team has struggled much of this winter to put all the parts of its game together, but everything meshed in the first half Wednesday night against No. 2 Archbishop Spalding. The No. 9 Gators took a 12-2 lead, ran the margin as high as 21 and held off a late Cavaliers rally for a 65-47 home victory in an Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference game. Amber Singletary had the hot hand early, hitting back-to-back 3-pointers in the opening run. Then the Gators' inside game took over with 6-foot forward Achiri Ade and 6-foot-4 center Liz Brown giving the smaller Cavaliers fits in the paint.

Robbie Zimmerman contributed both on the mound and at the plate for the No. 5 Seton Keough softball team as the Gators routed Maryvale, 9-1. The pitcher went the distance in the victory, recording 11 strikeouts. She was also part of the Gators' potent offense, hitting a double. No. 7 Howard 10, Wilde Lake 0: Pitcher Kensey O'Neill allowed one hit and struck out 13 to lead the host Lions (4-0) to victory against the Wildecats. Clinging to a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning, Howard exploded for six runs and never looked back.

For much of Friday night's Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference matchup, top-ranked Archbishop Spalding kept No. 6 Seton Keough off balance with its press and traps. The Cavaliers also built their offense around junior guard Maggie Morrison, who dominated with her outside shooting and no-look passes under the basket. Host Spalding trailed only once and finished strong for a 59-42 victory, ending a seven-year losing streak to Seton Keough. "They have a lot of size, and we don't.

Janet DiStasio, the library media specialist at Archbishop Spalding, barely hung up the phone before bursting into tears. Christina Mohs, the faculty mentor and supplemental instruction instructor for English and Communications at Anne Arundel Community College, was so touched when she received a call from Seton Keough that she couldn't wait an hour before e-mailing the school to thank its field hockey team for the inspirational boost. Both women have breast cancer and will serve as honorary captains for their respective teams today in the Play 4 The Cure field hockey game between the schools that will raise money for the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

McDonogh guard Taylor Cummings missed a good part of the first half of Wednesday night's game after rolling her ankle. She returned in the second half and inflicted a different type of pain on visiting Seton Keough. Cummings made two free throws with 11.9 seconds left to give No. 5 McDonogh the lead for good as the Eagles scored the game's final six points in a 54-50 victory over No. 4 Seton Keough in the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference regular-season finale.