Lady Eagles Advance to Finals After Narrow Victory

In one of the toughest match-ups all season, Aberdeen's girls basketball team put together a home court win Thursday night, 58–54, against No. 3 seed Baltimore Polytechnic Institute.

After winning the jump ball, Nia Alleyne hit a 3-pointer to open up the game, but Aberdeen gave up a quick basket and then struggled to run its offense.

Poly's defense was effective early on and the team didn't allow the Lady Eagles to push the ball. The Baltimore City squad also forced Aberdeen to turn the ball over more than usual.

The Lady Eagles held a 16–9 lead after the first quarter, but that margin was cut to 25–24 at the half.

Poly took a 28-27 early lead in the third quarter. The game was later tied at 33 until the Lady Eagles went on a 7-0 run, only to see Poly counter with a 6–1 run to end the third quarter down by two.

Poly hit a 3-pointer early in the final quarter to take another one-point lead, but Alleyne answered with a 3 of her own.

Aberdeen took a 54–50 lead on back-to-back scores from Brianna Jones and Lakeia Hayden, forcing Poly to take a timeout with two minutes remaining.

The visitors pulled even at 54 with 26 seconds remaining. After an Aberdeen timeout, Jones hit the biggest shot of the night putting the Lady Eagles up 56-54. The Lady Eagles would add two more points to close the game.

Top Scorers:

Aberdeen Top Rebounders: 

1. Brianna Jones (17)
2. Nia Alleyne  (8)
3. Jimmia McClucksey (10)

Aberdeen Top Assists:

1. Lakeia Hayden (6)
2. Ayana Stewart (10)
3. Jimmia McClucksey  (2)

Aberdeen Top Blocks:

1. Brianna Jones (7)
2. Ayana Stewart (2)