At one point in the second half, St. Mary's head coach Jeff Newhall dejectedly tossed his whiteboard to the floor. He later said he felt no play or scheme could get the Spartans back in the game against Catholic Central League rival. A comeback would rely on effort.
Somehow, the Spartans found that extra gear just in time. St. Mary's, ranked third in our Top 10, used a stunning 27-6 comeback to defeat fourth-ranked Cathedral at home, 46-43. Star sophomore Bella Owumi (13 points) took command during the surge and hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 9.3 seconds remaining.
"We learned a lot tonight about our toughness (and) our character," Newhall said. "It's one thing to come back from five down in the second half against a team that's not great. But they're a top-five team in the state."
Cathedral (7-3) had rattled St. Mary's (10-1) with its chaotic zone defenses. The Spartans opened freezing on their long-range attempts and had just three points after a quarter (12 at halftime). They trailed 37-19 before everything changed.
"I said, 'This doesn't matter. There's no plays, there's no nothing — you guys, right now, you're willing yourself to win. It's heart, it's fortitude, and those are things you've got to play with,'" Newhall said.
Here are five standouts from the wild matchup.
Bella Owumi, St. Mary's
Class of 2027, 5-11 guard/forward
This was a fascinating Owumi game. Even though she barely registered in the scorebook during the first half, she made a lot of smart passes in the middle of the zone offense, helping generate open 3-pointers that just didn't fall. That being said, she didn't impose her will defensively, on the boards or driving the ball like she typically does. In the second half, that completely changed.
Owumi picked a couple of easy putback layups to get going, assisted that third-quarter buzzer-beater and then took over the court in the fourth quarter. She was grabbing every rebound and was seemingly everywhere on defense, once lunging over to rotate and stop a pass for an easy layup, then saving the ball and getting St. Mary's going the other way. Ultimately, Owumi had the play of the night with her winning 3-pointer.
BELLA OWUMI FOR THREE 🚨🚨🚨
Cathedral has a chance to tie, down 46-43 with 6.3 seconds left pic.twitter.com/KRtKBzRzW3
— Ethan Fuller (@ethman43) January 15, 2025
Owumi credited her improved shooting confidence and overall patience with the ball to her AAU reps at MCW Starz, and just general maturing with age.
"I think as age comes, you're expected (to do) more," she said. "I played a role in seventh grade where I was really just a passer, and I feel like patience came with that. I wasn't really told to score — when I had the opportunity, obviously (I would) but I didn't have to force up shots.
"It came with age and just being patient with the ball. Again, (in) AAU, there's a lot of players that are really athletic. Playing with those players, you really have to be patient with the ball and play on two feet at all times so you don't get it stolen. I think that also translates."
Owumi's skill development has transpired in the public eye for years because she has been a St. Mary's starter since seventh grade. She gave several insightful answers postgame about her improvement as a shooter and passer, but I particularly noticed her composure leading pregame and mid-game huddles — and roaring when she converted a pivotal and-1 layup during the run. Owumi has grown into a capable communicator and team leader.
"I think last year, I was a little bit nervous because a lot of the seniors had left and I didn't really have that leadership role yet," she said. "So last year I was necessarily a leader (but) I didn't really take that role as best I could. I think I'm a little bit better this year. I think there could still be more improvements ... Even if my shot's not falling or I'm not boxing out, I can always be a good teammate, and that takes effort, not skill."
Juliana Conte, St. Mary's
Class of 2025, 5-7 guard
NCAA: Eastern Conn. State
Conte, like the rest of the Spartans, went ice-cold behind the arc in the first half. But she's one of the best shooters on the team and eventually hit her stride, making two of her three triples in the second half for her nine total points. Conte's presence as one of two seniors in the rotation for a very young squad is super important, and her confidence through struggle helped St. Mary's climb out of the hole.
Gabi Lorenzini, St. Mary's
Class of 2028, 5-9 guard/forward
Lorenzini was not a rotation player entering Tuesday night. Then point guard Lily Norton fouled out early in the second half and Newhall turned to the freshman for major minutes.
First, Lorenzini drilled that buzzer-beating corner 3 to cap the third quarter. Then she was St. Mary's second-most impactful player in the final frame. During separate stretches, Lorenzini grabbed a steal as part of a double-team on the ball, hit a second 3, then found another steal following a bad Cathedral pass against the press and used it to assist Jillian Roberts on another make behind the arc. Lorenzini has undoubtedly earned more opportunities going forward.
"We're looking for a little spark," Newhall said. "Gabby is a freshman, she's been getting better and better. She's been looking for a chance to get in, and we basically were forced to put her in because she's got good length and she's arguably the best shooter on the team."
Hijjah Allen-Paisley, Cathedral
Class of 2025, 5-5 guard
Allen-Paisley is one of the best guards in MIAA. Maybe it's because of her size or a lack of online publicity, but she has always been significantly underrated in my opinion. She doesn't put up gaudy point totals but can score from anywhere and is such a smart decision-maker.
Allen-Paisley scored 14 points in this game. I counted three pull-up 2s that looked easy for her as she drove past mismatches and took advantage of empty space. She made two 3-pointers and had a nice assist where she also drove, drew two defenders at the second level of the defense, and made a quick pocket bounce pass to Karilyn Perez-Guerrero for a layup. Allen-Paisley was also integral to Cathedral's aggressive defense, flying around at the top of the zone and picking up a few deflections.
There are a small handful of no-doubt college steals in the MIAA senior class who remain uncommitted. I would put Allen-Paisley near the top of the list.
Keyona Raines, Cathedral
Class of 2026, 5-8 guard
Raines was phenomenal in this game, showing off her signature strengths in a 16-point effort. I lost count of the amount of deflections and jumped-passing-lane steals she generated, but it might have been in the teens. She took a few of those steals coast-to-coast for layups. In the half-court, Raines continues to improve her patience and use of ball screens and driving angles. Her long first step on drives is hard to contain, and she made an array of acrobatic layups with her upper-level athletic tools. Raines would be a member of my hypothetical MIAA All-Defense team.
