Seton Keough

The No. 2 Seton Keough basketball team made No. 1 Archbishop Spalding work overtime to hold onto its top ranking Friday night. The host Cavaliers ran up a 19-point lead early in the third quarter, but no lead is apparently safe against Seton Keough, which took the game into double overtime before Spalding's clutch shooting from the field and the free-throw line finally sealed a 63-58 victory in an Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A...

Expectations were high for Robi Zimmerman entering the season — and she met all of them. The senior pitcher finished 8-2 with an 1.60 ERA, leading the Gators to the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference championship. Zimmerman pitched 70 innings, allowing 43 hits while striking out 49. She also had a no-hitter and only gave up one run in the two conference playoff games, including the championship game against Archbishop Spalding. At the plate, she batted .491, with 11 doubles, one triple, three home runs, and 27 RBIs.

Liz Brown scored a game-high 17 points and host No. 2 Seton Keough beat Arundel, 59-31, Tuesday. The Gators improved to 6-4. "They [Arundel] hung around for awhile," said Keough coach Jackie Boswell. "We pulled away at the end. Our defense gave them problems. " The Gators ran a half-court trap and threw in a zone to get easy steals and buckets to put the game ourt of reach. Breonna Pinkcett led Arundel with 10 points, scoring most of those in the middle of the lane.

No. 1 Archbishop Spalding (17-2, 7-0 IAAM A Conference) at No. 2 Seton Keough (15-4, 8-1) When : Sunday, 3:30 p.m. Key players to watch Archbishop Spalding : Maggie Morrison, Sr., G (9.5 points, 4.9 assists); Shaquilla Curtis, Sr., F (10.3 points, 7.6 rebounds); Brya Freeland, Sr., G (8.7 points, 2.9 assists); Camille Calhoun, Jr., F (11.4 points, 8.4 rebounds) Seton Keough : Achiri Ade, Sr., F (16 points, 11 rebounds); Liz Brown, Sr., C (12 points, seven rebounds)

Jackie Boswell, who kept Seton Keough among the region's most powerful high school girls basketball teams over the past 11 years, is taking over the women's basketball program at Stevenson. Boswell, who was 238-81 in 11 seasons as head coach at Seton Keough, led the Gators to the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A championship in 2009. In that year, the team won the ESPNRise National Invitational tournament championship and the prestigious Bishop Walsh tournament and finished ranked No. 12 in the ESPN Rise Girls Basketball rankings.

In the fifth inning of Sunday's Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference championship game, a bad hop struck top-ranked Archbishop Spalding's shortstop, Melanie Gunning, in the forehead, and she stayed on the ground as teammates, coaches and a trainer rushed to her aid. She was met by her father after being helped to the dugout, and began to cry only because she did not want to come out of the game. After being checked again for several minutes, the sophomore was allowed to return.

The Seton Keough field hockey team is having a year to remember in the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland B Conference, and one of the primary reasons is the play of goalkeeper Becca Wallace. The senior, who transferred to the school two years ago from North County, has made 76 saves this season and shut out the entire B Conference. She has allowed only five goals out of conference to top-ranked public schools and A Conference teams as the Gators have built a 16-3-2 overall record, including 11-0 in conference.

Maggie Morrison's shot has escaped her at times this season, but not Friday night. The Archbishop Spalding junior guard scored 25 points and hit three big shots midway through the fourth quarter to give the No. 3 Cavaliers all the room they would need to defeat No. 6 Seton Keough, 55-48, in an Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference semifinal. By knocking off the defending champs, the Cavaliers (21-4) advance to the title game for the first time since 2002.

No. 8 St. Vincent Pallotti and No. 6 Seton Keough combined to shoot 27 percent from the field Friday, but the visiting Panthers won a defensive struggle, 39-32, because of relentless pressure and the shot-blocking of Beverly Ogunrinde. The junior altered several shots and had six blocks, including one with 1:02 remaining to preserve a 35-30 lead, and 14 rebounds. Nine players scored for Pallotti (9-7, 3-3 Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland), led by sophomore Lea Whitehead (eight points)