New Town's girls basketball team got off to a good start in the Class 2A state semifinals Friday afternoon — until Largo's comeback kid, Chance Graham, kicked her game into gear.

The No. 12 Titans had a 10-point lead with 3:21 left in the first half, but the 6-foot-1 Graham was already beginning to dominate in the post. The senior scored 13 of her 26 points in the second quarter and sparked Largo to a 69-49 victory at Towson University's SECU Arena.

New Town coach Gena Young said her team deviated from its early strategy as the Lions started to rally.

“It's a little frustrating,” Young said. Graham “scored, I think, four straight baskets taking the baseline, where we usually do cut off the baseline. And it's kind of tough because my two seniors [Paris Thompson and Candis Taylor] wanted it as well.”

Just after the Titans (21-3) took a 23-13 lead on Mariah Smith's layup late in the first half, the 5-10 Thompson went to the bench with three fouls. Her leadership inside had been crucial to countering Graham and 6-2 Fatimah Blackwell early in the game.

But once Graham got started with two put-backs to open the second quarter, she was nearly impossible to stop. She scored 14 of the Lions' next 16 points. Her 12-footer to open the third quarter gave the Lions their first lead, 26-25.

“Chance has been our comeback queen all year,” Largo coach Ayana Ball-Ward said. “When we've gotten into a bind, Chance will look at me and say, ‘Coach, I got this,' and she'll go out there and take care of business.”

The Titans continued to battle despite having Thompson, Taylor and Smith in foul trouble. The teams traded 3-pointers, and with the game tied at 29, Khariah Kosh finished off a three-point play to give New Town a 32-29 edge with 5:20 to go. A couple of free throws by Smith pushed the lead to 34-31.

At that point, the Titans began double-teaming Graham, who is headed for Coppin State in the fall, but her teammates picked up the slack. After New Town's Morgan Anderson scored to end the third quarter, the Lions' lead was only 40-39.

Graham hit the first basket of the fourth quarter and added two free throws for a 44-39 lead. That started another Lions run.

After Tania White hit back-to-back 3-pointers, Largo led 54-41. As Taylor, Smith and Thompson fouled out in the final 2:30, the Lions hit 10 of 12 free throws.

Young had scouted Largo and knew the impact Graham could make.

“Starting out, we was doing everything we've been doing all season long, playing defense,” Young said. “We knew [Graham] was going to come out and play her game, and we contained them for a quarter and a half, and then we let them go and we fell back into our old bad habits, playing lazy defense.”

Taylor and Kosh led the Titans with 11 points each, while Smith added 10.

The Lions (18-5) will play for their third state title today at 1 p.m. at SECU Arena against Williamsport, a 54-33 winner over Kent Island in Friday's other semifinal.

katherine.dunn@baltsun.com

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