Catonsville Holds Off Milford Mill, Moves Onto Semifinals

Catonsville High’s relentless second-half defense shook a pesky Milford Mill squad in the third quarter as the Comets used a 16-6 run to pull away in a 55-39 regional quarterfinal victory.

The Comets move to 18-6 on the season as they head north to visit the 3A North’s top-seeded Hereford Bulls Thursday at 7 p.m.

“We had some kids playing some unfamiliar positions. We went big, and they went small, and we hung in there,” Catonsville head coach Mike Mohler said.

The biggest of the Comets was Danielle Francy, who Mohler credited with providing a lift to the home team on both ends of the floor. The shorter Millers’ frontcourt tried to muscle the tall, slender Francy under the basket, but the Comets’ center was undeterred, finishing with nine points, nine rebounds and five blocked shots.

Six of her points came in the final four minutes of the second quarter when the Millers abandoned their zone to pressure full court, leaving Francy open under the basket for easy turnaround lay-ups.

“She was a real difference maker in there for us tonight,” Mohler said. “She has great hands. You throw it up there and she catches it. We make errant passes, and she makes them completed passes.”

Milford Mill, the 12-seed in the bracket that upset Towson to reach the quarterfinals, opened in a compact zone defense. Without hesitation, Catonsville leaned on their outside shooters, positioning three players around the perimeter with Francy the sole Comet under the basket. Swinging the ball quickly to move the defense, Catonsville routinely hit the open player with a skip pass for an open jumper. Each shot didn’t fall, but a slow, methodical offensive set that resulted in a deep 3-point bucket from Rachel Schwaab was enough to get the Millers to break their zone and push the tempo.

Once the Comets had a look at the Milford Mill press, senior point guard Zoey Whittington took control of the game. Playing with foul trouble for much of the second half, she handled the Millers’ double-teams with ease, gliding past defenders with long strides to find the open player and set up a couple quick passes before a close shot off the glass.

“Her passes were critical. She gave the ball up in some key situations,” Mohler said. “Zoey did one heck of a job as a leader tonight.”