Special to the Herald
(From the issue of 3/18/04)

There was no shortage of motivation for the Seton girls basketball team in the Virginia Independent Schools Division II state tournament. Having been ranked number one the entire year, the squad wanted to prove the ranking true; the four seniors, all starters, wanted to win a title before graduating, and the teams that stood between the Conquistadors and the crown added to the motivation.

In first round action, Seton defeated Denbigh Baptist of Newport News. Seton broke open a close game at the beginning of the second quarter when Lauren Sewell scored 10 straight points, and the team amassed 26 in the quarter to take a 23-point halftime lead. Sewell and Lizzie Wilson each had 16 in the game, and Mary Grimberg contributed 14 in the 74-39 victory.

The tournament’s final rounds were held at Flint Hill in Oakton. The semi-finals matched Seton against Holy Cross of Lynchburg. The Gaels eliminated Seton from the tournament last year in the first round.

Wilson made sure that the streak did not continue for the Gaels. After Seton had a two point lead at halftime, the point guard scored 12 third quarter points and led the Conquistadors with 24 in the 62-55 win. Sewell and Grimberg once again scored in double figures with 13 and 15 respectively. Also important in the win was the play of Delaney Conference Player of the Year, Bridgit Cooley, whose quickness negated the trapping half-court zone of Holy Cross.

Seton faced Walsingham of Williamsburg in the championship game. Seton found itself in serious foul trouble in the first half as Grimberg had three fouls in the opening four minutes, and Cooley picked up her fourth before halftime. The Trojans, on the strength of their foul shooting, pulled even with Seton at the half. As it had been in the night before, a big third quarter was the difference as Seton outscored its opponent 21-6. Walsingham never seriously threatened in the fourth quarter, and the countdown to the title began.

But the countdown never really ended. With 58.5 seconds remaining, and Seton up 61-50, a collision between two Trojan players under the basket resulted in an injury to Heather Gerum that delayed the game. The injury was deemed serious enough to call in paramedics, and the coaches agreed to end the game at that point.

The unusual ending to the game found the Seton squad praying for Gerum rather than celebrating the victory. The team sent flowers to Gerum and later learned that she was able to return to school on Monday.

Grimberg, on the strength of her career high 26 points in the championship game, was named the MVP of the tournament. Sewell and Wilson joined her on the All-State team.

The following week, Seton traveled to Dayton, Tennessee, to play in the National Christian Invitational Tournament. After an easy first round win, Seton defeated a team from Arkansas 49-40 to make the Friday night finals. Nationally ranked Victory Christian of North Carolina, with seniors already signed to play at North Carolina and Duke and a junior all-American center, was the formidable opponent. Every basket in the 82-30 loss was a moral victory for Seton. The same trio that made all-State, Grimberg, Sewell and Wilson, also made the all-tournament team.