Mount de Sales girls win ninth straight, defeat FPD 48-45

The Mount de Sales Lady Cavaliers extended their winning streak to nine games Tuesday night, fighting through a physical showdown with crosstown rival FPD to defeat the Lady Vikings 48-45 on the road.

It was the first GIAA Class 4A/3A District 6 game of the year for both teams, and it came down to the wire between the two squads after neither team had a lead bigger than four all night. The Cavaliers got the edge thanks to timely free throws down the stretch and points from eight different players — led by Payton Latimer and Laura Lillie Sparks — to balance the scoring.

“Our girls are learning. Haven’t been the most relevant in girls basketball here since about 2012, I think. I’m proud of ‘em. They get better each day. I can’t thank them enough for accepting hard coaching and working every day at practice,” Mount de Sales head coach Craig Carroll said.

The game finished with an entertaining back-and-forth sequence that began when the two teams were tied at 44 with about three minutes to play. 

Senior Payton Latimer snagged a great layup to make it 46-44, then drilled a pair of clutch free throws inside the two-minute mark to give the Cavaliers a four-point lead. In between those buckets came turnovers, missed shots and even a kicked ball call.

It looked like Mount de Sales would pull away when FPD fouled Mount de Sales again and struggled to score inside the final minute, but the Cavs left the door open and missed some free throws.

With only 3.9 seconds remaining, Mount de Sales had the ball for an inbounds pass when FPD star Bowen Matthews somehow leaped in the air as the Cavaliers threw the ball in, snatched it with one hand and began calling a timeout before she even hit the ground.

The Vikings had life with 2 seconds left, but it was not to be — they could not get a shot off in time, and the Cavaliers snagged the win.

“We had so many players contribute tonight. Conditioning made a difference, we play physical … it’s a 12-round fight,” Carroll said. “We made a few more plays right there at the end. Payton made some plays for us there at the end. Kenzie Jordan in the post, good to have her in there.”

Latimer finished with 11 points. Sparks netted a team-high 12 points as part of a group effort to help Mount de Sales improve to 11-1.

“We tell them it’s hard to guard five girls. That’s what we preach,” Carroll said.

Matthews had a game-high 15 points and nearly helped the Vikings win it with her last-gasp steal. Freshman Bri Crosby was quiet early but scored all 11 of her points across the last three quarters.

Both coaches seemed frustrated on the sidelines by the game’s officiating — there were 10 fouls in the first quarter alone and the two teams combined for 28 of them by the end of it — but FPD head coach Doug Wasden made no excuses for the tight loss.

“We probably missed enough shots under the basket to win by eight or ten points,” Wasden said. “Our girls played hard. Their shots went in, our shots didn’t. They played a great game. Mount de Sales has improved tremendously over the past two years. Craig has done a great job over there.”

The ending was indicative of the entire game. It was a scrappy showdown early, with Mount de Sales getting the edge because of longer possessions and slightly better shooting, though neither team found much success from close range or long distance.

The Cavaliers got solid contributions from multiple players in the opening half, with Sparks, Latimer and Kenadi Lightfoot making key plays. The Vikings were clearly paced by the duo of Matthews and Caroline Chancellor, though Crosby made more of an impact in the second half.

Matthews in particular changed the pace of play while she was on the floor, often pressing FPD possessions and creating decent looks even if the Vikings could not always convert. Mount de Sales got under the bucket a bit more frequently, but both teams did well on defense to double up at the right time to force reckless passes or jump balls.

“We knew it was going to be a physical game, and in a game like that you have to play through. We knew it would be tight, we just have to deal with whatever’s there,” Wasden said. “It’s any given night. What matters most is that region tournament, and we’re gonna be getting better by then. Our goal is to be playing our best ball in February.”

Both teams are set to continue region play Friday night, with the Cavaliers taking on Piedmont at home in search of their 10th straight win and FPD facing Stratford on the road.