[score id=”42967″ align=”right”]The now 23-0 girls basketball team broke a close game wide open in the second half to beat the 21-4 Wootton Patriots 73-60 Monday in the the regional championship, advancing to the state semifinals.

Guard Marie Hatch led the Vikings with a game-high 23 points, followed by guard Abby Meyers with 16. Forward captain Alison Poffley and guard Hannah Niles contributed 10 and nine points respectively.

“[Winning the regional championship] is something we have all been dreaming of and been working towards for so long,” Poffley said. “The feeling is indescribable.”

The Patriots jumped out to an early 6-0 lead after two quick three-pointers in the opening minutes of the game. Despite establishing the tempo and dominating the offensive glass, the Patriots were prevented from pulling away by Meyers who tallied seven points, trimming the Patriots’ lead to one at 15-14.

The beginning of the second was a seesaw battle, with both teams playing tight defense and forcing several turnovers. The Vikings could not cut the Patriots’ lead for most of the quarter, as their opponents continued to score three-pointers and control the ball in transition.

With 1:30 left in the half, the Vikings mounted a 9-2 run, full of offensive rebounds, blocks, and steals, mostly caused by Hatch. She capped it off by grabbing an offensive rebound and putting the ball back in the net for a buzzer-beater. As the teams went back to the locker rooms, momentum shifted to the Vikings, after reversing an eight-point deficit for a 29-29 deadlock.

“Wootton came out super ready and were knocking down shots and we weren’t matching their energy,” Poffley said. “It showed great mental toughness from us to come back and tie the game up at the half.”

As they have all season, the Vikings exploded early in the third stanza, showcasing their patented grind-nose defense and connecting on layups and jumpers. Poffley scored eight of her 10 points in the third quarter, all from wide-open baseline shots set up by crisp passes.

With starters Meyers and forward Betsy Knox on the bench with three fouls apiece, the Vikings relied on their position players like forward Samantha Magliato for tough defense, forcing several Patriot miscues. A three-pointer from guard and senior captain Nicole Fleck increased the Viking lead to 50-41 with eight minutes to go in the contest.

Free throws became essential down the stretch, with the Vikings going 11-18 to extend their lead to as many as 19.

A scary moment in the game occurred with 3:23 left, when Hatch fell hard to the ground after reaching for an offensive rebound. Slow to get up, she left the game with what is now confirmed to be a fractured ankle, forcing her to miss the rest of the playoffs.

The girls look to advance to the state finals when they face the Maryland defending state champion, the 21-3 Eleanor Roosevelt Raiders at Towson University Thursday at 3:00 p.m.

As the Lady Vikes continue the road to states without Hatch, the team needs to be ready to play aggressively on both sides of the ball for all 24 minutes against Roosevelt, Poffley said.

“Thursday is going to be amazing,” she said. “It’s going to be a competitive game and it’s going to be incredible to play on a college court with tons of support from the Whitmaniacs.”