Arundel's state championship plans dashed | Maryland Gazette (HometownGlenBurnie.com)

Ahjah Hall ran the length of the court for a go-ahead lay-up with 15 seconds remaining in the game to push Eleanor Roosevelt to a 52-50 victory Monday at the RAC Arena at UMBC, giving the Raiders their fourth consecutive Class 4A state title.

"Honestly, this is the worst feeling in the world," Wildcats center Simone Egwu said. "This is what we've been working for all year, and we didn't come here for second place."

Eleanor Roosevelt (24-2) outrebounded Arundel by 16 and overcame a seven-point first-half deficit to join Brooklyn Park (1985-1989, Class C/1A) and Dunbar (2000-2003, Class 1A) as the only three girls programs to win championships in four straight seasons.

"This team has always shown the resilience and the guts that it takes to be a champion," Raiders coach Roderick Hairston said.

Elashier Hall scored a game-high 19 points and Ahjah Hall collected 11 points and 10 rebounds to hold off the Wildcats' late surge.

Ashley Davis scored 17 points and Ebonne' Jones and Sherrone Vails each chipped in 13 points for Arundel (22-6).

Vails missed a give-and-go lay-up with 18 seconds left in the fourth to set up Ahjah Hall's late basket that gave Roosevelt a 51-50 edge.

Davis missed a lay-up with 9.3 seconds to play, and Elashier Hall gave the Raiders a two-point cushion with a free throw. She missed her second free throw, but got the rebound and ran the clock down to 3.7 seconds before drawing another foul.

"They made the plays when they had to make the plays, and we didn't," Arundel coach Lee Rogers said. "We had opportunities, and we didn't help ourselves out."

Jones launched a 50-foot shot that hit the backboard and rimmed out of the basket at the end of regulation, and the Raiders' bench spilled onto the court to celebrate their title.

The Raiders, who played without George Washington-bound Brooke Wilson, spent the first half climbing out of an early deficit and pulled to within one with 13.4 seconds left in the second quarter.

Olivia Applewhite gave Eleanor Roosevelt a 22-21 lead - its first of the game - on a put-back with 6:58 left in the third quarter, and Noel Bullock's first of two 3-pointers pushed the Raiders' lead to 32-26 with 54 seconds remaining.

Davis nailed a 3-pointer and completed the four-point play to cut the deficit to 33-32 with 2.5 seconds left.

"We were down, and we needed it," said Davis, who scored 25 points against Dulaney in the semifinals. "I had to be there at the right time."

Davis broke a 34-34 tie with a 3-pointer from the right wing, and Jones added another on the Wildcats' next possession for a 40-36 lead - their largest since being ahead, 16-11, in the second quarter.

Elashier Hall hit two free throws and a lay-up to even the score, but Davis broke another tie with a 3-pointer - her third in a four-minute, 22-second span. Elashier Hall answered with a 3 to tie the game at 43 with 3:26 to play. She scored 14 points in the second half.

"During the beginning of the game, I tried to get my team in it offensively," she said. "But when it got down to the stretch, I knew it was close, so I had to step my game up as a point guard and as a player to get points on the board."

Davis' free throw gave the Wildcats a 45-44 lead with 2:15 left, and Jones followed with a 3-pointer from the top of the key.

After two more free throws by Davis put Arundel ahead by four, Bullock, a junior guard filling in for Wilson, connected on her second 3-pointer of the game to cut the lead to 50-49.

"She hit the biggest shot of her career tonight when it counted for the money," Hairston said.

Egwu, the Wildcats' leading scorer and rebounder all season, was held to seven points and six rebounds while battling foul trouble. She had three fouls at the end of the first half and fouled out with 3:13 left.

"If there was a worse feeling than coming to the state championship and getting second place, that was it," Egwu said. "I want to be on the floor with my team, and the refs took me out of the game, and it's unfortunate."

Eleanor Roosevelt was able to remain close despite making 16 of 37 free throws and shooting 28 percent from the field.

The Raiders grabbed 50 rebounds - 26 offensive - and scored 20 second-chance points. They held Arundel to eight points in the second quarter.

"We had to continue to box out, and we all just cleared the rebound," said Applewhite, who had a game-high 14 rebounds.

Only four Wildcats scored points. Nine players scored in their 67-29 victory over Dulaney.

Arundel will return most of its roster next season, including all five starters.

"We weren't here for next year," Egwu said. "We were here for this year. And we're going to be back."

Arundel (22-6) 14 8 10 18 - 50

Eleanor Roosevelt (24-2) 9 12 12 19 - 52

Arundel (50)

Jones 4(2) 3-4 13; Davis 5(3) 4-5 17; Watson 0 0-0 0; Vails 5 3-4 13; Egwu 3 1-1 7; Henderson 0 0-0 0; Reid 0 0-1 0; Moore 0 0-0 0; Jauschnegg 0 0-0 0; Kimbrue 0 0-0 0; McFadden 0 0-0 0; Co. Jones 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 17(5) 11-15 50.

Eleanor Roosevelt (52)

E. Hall 6(1) 6-11 19; Bullock 2(2) 1-6 7; A. Hall 3 5-10 11; Malloy 0 1-2 11; Applewhite 2(1) 3-8 8; Patterson 0 0-0 0; Nolan 0 0-0 0; Raymond 0 0-0 0; Chigbu 0 0-0 0; Petty 3 0-0 6. TOTALS: 16(4) 16-37 52.