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Gwynn Park High School girls' basketball coach Michael Strother has one of the youngest teams in the state tournament. But on Friday afternoon the Yellow Jackets overcame their inexperience in the crucial stages of their Class 2A state semifinal game against Liberty High and emerged with a 64-51 victory.

Gwynn Park will take on Fallston High in the state final at 1 p.m. Saturday at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County in Catonsville. Fallston won the Class 3A state title last season and was reclassified to 2A this year.

With two freshmen in its starting lineup and only one senior among its top-six rotation, Gwynn Park improved to 21-3 with Friday's win against Liberty (19-7). The Yellow Jackets broke open a tight game with an 8-0 run midway through the fourth quarter and then maintained a comfortable margin to the finish, thanks largely to an aggressive defense that forced 31 turnovers.

"We work on different defensive sets during the season," said Strother, who led the Potomac High girls' basketball team to 2A state titles in 2004 and 2005. "I don't want to give away any secrets, but these girls have worked really hard all season. They do a lot of running and a lot of fussing, but it's been worth it. We're so young, I don't think too many people expected us to be here this soon."

Gwynn Park, which won three consecutive 3A state titles from 2002-04, got ample production from its two freshman starters, Caira Washington (16 points) and Genesis Lucas (13 points) and junior Channell Mackey (12 points). All three were prominent in the fourth quarter when the Yellow Jackets outscored the Lions, 25-15. Liberty guard Maggie McCormick (16 points) hit a 3-pointer with 5 minutes, 25 seconds remaining, but the Lions went the next four minutes without another basket.

"I think their pressure was a really big factor," said Liberty coach Jessica Morgan. "We're just not used to playing against teams that play that aggressive. We usually don't commit many turnovers, but their defense really took us out of our rhythm. We practiced against a pressure defense all week, but they were much more aggressive than we imagined."

Both teams struggled from the floor in the first half, each shooting less than 30 percent. The Yellow Jackets gained the lead by hitting 7 of 10 free throws, but the Lions stayed closed by connecting on 3 of 4 from 3-point range.

Neither team gained the upper hand in the third quarter, although Gwynn Park started the period with a 7-0 run, sparked by baskets from Washington, Bianca Miller and Channell Mackey. But the Lions fought back thanks to a 3-pointer from McCormick and solid inside play from senior Shelby Nemecek (19 rebounds, 16 points). A late layup by Rebeka Coughlin narrowed the Gwynn Park advantage to 39-36 heading into the fourth quarter.

After a sluggish first period for both teams, which ended with Gwynn Park leading 8-6, both squads began to settle down in the second quarter. At times it looked as though the Yellow Jackets would gain a comfortable lead, with turnovers leading to several easy buckets for Miller, Mackey and Washington. Gwynn Park forged a seven-point lead at 22-15, but the Lions fought back to narrow the gap to 25-24 at halftime on a late 3-pointer from McCormick.

In the other 2A semifinal on Friday, Fallston broke open a close game by outscoring Digital Harbor, 17-4, in the fourth quarter en route to a 42-31 win. Digital Harbor led 27-25 at the end of the third quarter. Fallston standout Jess Harlee endured a 1-for-8 performance from the floor, but finished with eight points and 13 rebounds. Harlee, a West Virginia University recruit, missed most of the season after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament last summer. Lindsay Garnett had 11 points and Rachael Holehouse added 10 for Fallston.

The Fallston-Digital Harbor game was a rare matchup of defending state champions. While Fallston won the 3A title last year, Digital Harbor was the 1A state champion before both schools were reclassified to 2A this year.