Poly girls basketball earns return trip to state finals after 49-29 win over River Hill

Mar. 12—By Jacob Steinberg — jsteinberg@baltsun.com

PUBLISHED:March 12, 2024 at 8:53 p.m.| UPDATED:March 12, 2024 at 9:55 p.m.

UPPER MARLBORO — Poly girls basketball coach Kendall Peace-Able's message to her players never wavered: "We need to have fun."

In the high-intensity environment of a grand postseason stage like Tuesday's Class 3A state semifinal, joy can give way to anxiety. However, early in the fourth quarter against No. 5 seed River Hill, the top-seeded Engineers once again found that joy. It sparked a dominant fourth quarter where Poly broke the game open, holding the Hawks scoreless for the game's final six minutes.

The Engineers secured a third straight trip to the 3A state championship with a 49-29 win and will face No. 6 seed Oakdale either Friday or Saturday at the University of Maryland's Xfinity Center.

"Coach just told us to breathe and have fun," Poly senior guard Mickelle Lowry said. "I think we went out there and we had fun. We don't really try to be too serious and push ourselves too hard during the game. But we just tell each other that, 'We got this and keep going and work hard.' I think that's what really made us push through in the game.

Lowry, one of the program's four seniors, sparked the offense early. She knocked down a pair of 3-pointers in the first quarter as the Engineers (26-1) led 12-9 after one. The veteran guard continued to spearhead Poly's offense with a third 3-pointer early in the second quarter.

Meanwhile, River Hill consistently tried to the work the ball into the post to sophomore Camille Nesmith, but the Engineers effectively denied her paint touches. Yet, River Hill (21-3) remained within striking distance down only eight at the break.

After struggling to find open looks in the first half, the Hawks' Nesmith and Dylan Watson hit their stride. The tandem connected early in the third as the Hawks inched closer and trimmed the deficit to five. However, the Engineers responded, pushing the lead back to double digits with timely baskets from several players.

Watson and Smith delivered again late in the third to get River Hill back within seven at the end of the frame. However, the Engineers quickly took control in the fourth, leaning on their defense. With persistent pressure from their young guards Chloe Mills and London Elliott, Poly quickly pushed the lead back to double digits.

Elliott's confidence soared after each basket. She scored six of her game-high 14 points in the fourth quarter.

"I started off kind of nervous," Elliott said. "As the game continued, I continued to pick up my speed and get more used to the court. It's about just keeping up with the pace. The seniors, I see that they really want a ring before they graduate. I want one my freshman year, so I'm willing to put in the work, so we can both get what we want."

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Poly #0, Chloe Mills layup in the 1st half. Class 3A girls state semifinal game between top seed Poly and No. 5 River Hill at Henry A Wise High School. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)

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Poly #10, Brianna Pope layup in the 1st half. Class 3A girls state semifinal game between top seed Poly and No. 5 River Hill at Henry A Wise High School. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)

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Poly #2, London Elliott scores two in the paint in the 1st half. Class 3A girls state semifinal game between top seed Poly and No. 5 River Hill at Henry A Wise High School. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)

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River Hill girls varsity basketball coach, Teresa Waters. Class 3A girls state semifinal game between top seed Poly and No. 5 River Hill at Henry A Wise High School. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)

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Poly girls varsity basketball coach, Kendall Peace-Able. Class 3A girls state semifinal game between top seed Poly and No. 5 River Hill at Henry A Wise High School. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)

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Despite the double-team, River Hill #25, Dylan Watson sinks this pull-up jumpshot in the 2nd half. Class 3A girls state semifinal game between top seed Poly and No. 5 River Hill at Henry A Wise High School. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)

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Poly #12 sinks a long two in the 1st half. Class 3A girls state semifinal game between top seed Poly and No. 5 River Hill at Henry A Wise High School. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)

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River Hill #12, Taylor Shane and Poly #15, Arianna Makumi battle for possession of the ball. Class 3A girls state semifinal game between top seed Poly and No. 5 River Hill at Henry A Wise High School. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)

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Poly #2 slips past defender, River Hill #20 Camille Nesmith for an under-hand layup for two in the 1st half. Class 3A girls state semifinal game between top seed Poly and No. 5 River Hill at Henry A Wise High School. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)

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Poly #2, London Elliott fast-break layup in the 1st half. Class 3A girls state semifinal game between top seed Poly and No. 5 River Hill at Henry A Wise High School. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)

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Poly #0, Chloe Mills layup beyond the reach of defender River Hill #12, Taylor Shane layup in the 1st half. Class 3A girls state semifinal game between top seed Poly and No. 5 River Hill at Henry A Wise High School. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)

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Poly #0, Chloe Mills layup in the 2nd half. Class 3A girls state semifinal game between top seed Poly and No. 5 River Hill at Henry A Wise High School. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)

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River Hill #25, Dylan Watson splits the Defense drives to the basket for a layup for two. Class 3A girls state semifinal game between top seed Poly and No. 5 River Hill at Henry A Wise High School. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)

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Poly #2, London Elliott layup in the 2nd half. Class 3A girls state semifinal game between top seed Poly and No. 5 River Hill at Henry A Wise High School. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)

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Poly #2, London Elliott layup in the 2nd half. Class 3A girls state semifinal game between top seed Poly and No. 5 River Hill at Henry A Wise High School. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)

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Poly #0, Chloe Mills drives towards the basket in the 2nd half. Class 3A girls state semifinal game between top seed Poly and No. 5 River Hill at Henry A Wise High School. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)

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Poly girls basketball players celebrate their win against River Hill, 49-29. Class 3A girls state semifinal game between top seed Poly and No. 5 River Hill at Henry A Wise High School. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)

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Poly's depth was crucial as the game wore on. The Engineers rotated nine or 10 players while River Hill coach Teresa Waters used multiple timeouts, looking to keep her starters fresh. Fatigue began to set in for River Hill as the deficit grew larger.

Despite the fourth-quarter struggles, Waters was proud of her team's resiliency throughout the season. The Hawks reached the state semifinals for the first time since 2019.

"The girls dealt with adversity, but I saw resilience," Waters said. "Today, I think it just wore down a little bit. I am more than proud. I have a great group of girls. They're great kids, who work hard and are scholar athletes. Today, we just came up against someone who, these girls this is what they do. They play basketball all year."

For Poly and Peace-Able, the state championship stage is nothing new, appearing for a seventh time. However, it will be uniquely special for Engineers new and old as they'll look to cap off the season with the program's second state title.

"I'm just excited for them," Peace-Able said. "To have the opportunity is golden. Everybody doesn't get here. If you've watched my program over several years and for them, they're very young. Even if you've known basketball for a while, it makes it look like, 'Hey, this is what we do.' But, at any point in any way, anybody could've thrown a wrench in this. My biggest message to them is to be grateful and love it and embrace it, every moment of it, because like the COVID year you never know when it can be gone."

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Poly — 12 10 10 17 — 49

River Hill — 9 5 11 4 — 29

P: London Elliott 14, Mickelle Lowry 13, Chloe Mills 8, Arianna Makumi 6, Brianna Pope 4, Amelia Overton 2, Madison Stith 2

RH: Dylan Watson 12, Dylan Watson 8, Taylor Shane 4, Gabby Shane 3, Kirsten Parypinski 2

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