BALTIMORE (Map, News) - For as good as Arundel was during its 67-29 victory over Dulaney in a Class 4A semifinal on Thursday, junior forward Simone Egwu said the team is saving its greatest performance for the next time it takes the court at UMBC.

“We had this on our minds the whole year,” she said. “I really feel like our best game is going to be on Monday night.”

That’s when fourth-ranked Arundel (22-5) will try to win its first state title since 2004 by defeating three-time defending champion Eleanor Roosevelt (22-2) on Monday at 7 p.m. at RAC Arena.

The Wildcats certainly didn’t have any trouble against Dulaney (19-4). The Lions entered the state tournament allowing just 36 points per game, but Arundel had no trouble scoring, as the Wildcats surpassed that total in the first half.

Arundel led, 20-12, after the first quarter and scored 10 of the first 14 points of the second to stretch its lead to 30-16 after consecutive three-pointers by junior guard Ashley Davis. Davis, who scored 16 of her game-high 25 points in the first half, led a charge in which the Wildcats allowed just four points in the second quarter to take a 38-16 lead at intermission.

Dulaney handled the Wildcats’ pressure early in the first quarter, but slowly unraveled, as the Lions turned the ball over 10 times in the first half and 23 times for the game. When the Wildcats did miss a shot, it usually didn’t matter, as they finished with 47 rebounds - 25 offensive - and scored 29 second chance points.

“It was a case of boxing out and rebounding,” Dulaney senior forward Danielle Parker said. “At different points in the game, it just wasn’t there.”

Parker, who will play for Delaware next season, scored the first basket of the second half and junior guard Rose Myers added a three-pointer to cut the lead to 40-21 with just under six minutes remaining in the third quarter.

But Arundel scored 13 of the final 16 points in the period and extended its lead to as many as 39 points in the fourth quarter to make the Lions’ first trip to the state tournament since 1988 a short one.

Parker finished with 13 points and eight rebounds, but the 6-foot-3 Egwu (10 points, nine assists) and 6-foot-4 sophomore teammate Sheronne Vails (12 points, 15 rebounds) dominated the paint.

Coaches from nearly 10 Division I schools, including Loyola, Maryland, Massachusetts, Navy, Boston College, George Washington and Virginia Tech attended the game to scout the trio from Anne Arundel County.

“Everything we do,” Davis said, “is about the team.”

dcarey@baltimoreexaminer.com