Hammond girls’ basketball coach Ayanna Jones greeted each of her starters with a custom handshake as they were introduced ahead of Friday’s Maryland Class 2A state championship game against Francis Scott Key.
Their partnership ended fittingly with a 65-46 win at Xfinity Center in College Park that clinched the program’s first state title since 2002 and a 26-0 record. It is the only Maryland public school to finish with a perfect record this season.
“I came up with that [handshake] because our relationship over time, we’ve just gotten so close,” Green said.
“It’s just mutual love and respect,” Jones added. “It had to grow. It had to be nurtured. It had to get there. It did not start like that . . . just recognizing we both want the same thing.”
Green scored 14 points but struggled, shooting just 4 for 10 with 10 turnovers.
She took over late in the third quarter with the score tied at 35. The senior emphatically swatted a shot on defense. On the ensuing offensive possession, she drove into the paint before dishing off to senior guard Delani Thomas for a layup.
“We’re a great team in transition,” Green said. “ … That’s what got us going.”
Early in the fourth quarter, she found junior forward Sara Yarnell for a three-pointer. Green finished with 11 assists and punctuated many of them by encircling her hands around her eyes to mimic goggles.
Hammond dominated the fourth quarter 24-9 to seal the victory. The Golden Bears received key contributions from senior forward Asia Mitchell (16 points) and Yarnell (14 points).
The offense, which shot 54.9 percent from the field, ran through Green. That wasn’t the case in previous years.
One of Jones’s first actions when she became coach last season was to move Green to point guard. Even as Hammond went 14-5 last season, the two clashed. A conversation over winter break last season helped them understand each other and unlocked the partnership’s potential.
“I think this year I’ve become more of a leader,” Green said. “It’s been a long journey, but . . . I’ve learned that we have to go and we have to get it and we have to be hungry.”
That potential became fully realized Friday. A late turnover by the Eagles (18-8) meant Hammond could run out the clock.
Green received the final inbounds pass and remained in the backcourt, showing off the dribble moves that impressed Jones two years ago.
As the final seconds ticked down, Green let the ball bounce away and began the Golden Bears’ celebration.
