McDonogh Takes The IAAM A Conference Championship

McDonogh won their 4th IAAM A conference championship with a convincing 77-65 victory of St. Frances Academy, who had won the last five A conference championships. McDonogh started fast and built a 21 point lead at one point in the game, but St. Frances kept battling back throughout before succumbing to McDonogh’s size and physicality. Several players on both teams turned in exceptional performances... &nbsp; <strong>Ja’la Bannerman, St. Frances, 2022 Guard</strong> It wasn't her best performance but Ja'la  led the team in scoring with 20 points. She competed until the final buzzer and helped the team make a couple of runs throughout the game. Tough way to end her career but she had a good season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="303118" first="Sydney" last="Sutton"], St. Frances, 2025 Guard</strong> I was very impressed with Sydney's contributions in this game. She did not get many minutes in the previous games that I saw but she was solid in this one. She is a tough guard and she played excellent on ball defense and rebounded the ball well, especially on offense.She scored 11 points, 7 at the foul line because she kept battling in the paint. She finished through contact a couple of times and showed she has a bright future as a varsity player in the IAAM. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="291153" first="Kimmya" last="Hicks"], St. Frances, 2023 Guard</strong> Kimmya had a strong game. She finished with 11 points, 7 at the from the foul line. This was a physical battle and she was up to the challenge, going against bigger players on the McDonogh front line and holding her own. She has a nice touch on her shot and can get to the hoop with her quick first step. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="137230" first="Delaney" last="Yarborough"], McDonogh, 2022 Center</strong> <img class="alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-391889" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/02/20220221_194532-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> This was the best game I have seen Delaney play. She was a problem in the paint all day. She moved bodies around, crashed the boards and gave McDonogh several extra possesions by using her size to dominate inside. She scored 12 points and grabbed double digit rebounds. Everyone one of her buckets came when St. Frances was trying to make a run and she helped slow their momentum. She really set the tone in a physical slugfest and her teammates followed her lead. She has really improved her footwork and touch around the basket. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="142846" first="Paris" last="Locke"], McDonogh, 2023 Guard</strong> <img class="alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-391892" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/02/20220221_194606_HDR-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> Paris turned in a tremendous effort in this one. Her versatlity was on full display as she scored 24 points to lead all scorers. She slashed to rim and drew fouls. She made jumpers, including two threes. She provided some quality minutes as a facilitator and mixed it up on defense and on the glass. This could have been close to a 30 point performance if not for missed free throws. She played like she was hungry to bring another championship to McDonogh and she did it. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27873" first="Nekhu" last="Mitchell"], McDonogh, 2022, Wing</strong> Nekhu was the glue player for this team all season and she played that same role in this game. She finished with 11 points and 7 came from the foul line. She played excellent defense and fought for rebounds in a game that was physical from the jump ball. She has signed with George Mason University.