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Despite an uncharacteristically sloppy first quarter when they committed 12 turnovers and scored only 11 points, the Riverdale Baptist High School girls' basketball team dominated the next three qua rters en route to a 55-31 victory over Forest Park (VA) to capture its second straight International Association of Approved Basketball Officials' Tournament title at Charles H. Flowers High School.

Riverdale (8-2) had just returned from the Nike Invitational Tournament in Phoenix and the Crusaders were certainly glad to have Sunday off after winning the first two games of the tournament against Blake and Good Counsel. But during the opening quarter of the championship game of the IAABO tournament's eight-team Joe Chase Bracket, the Crusaders committed 12 turnovers while forcing plays against a smaller, scrappy Forest Park squad.

But during the second, third and fourth quarters, Riverdale displayed much more patience and took advantage of its size advantage inside en route to its second straight IAABO title and fourth in the last six years. Riverdale got plenty of production from its "True Twin Towers", senior sisters Tianna Hawkins (16 rebounds, 15 points) and Tierra Hawkins (12 rebounds, 11 points) and the Crusaders ended all doubt by outscoring Forest Park 19-4 in the fourth quarter.

"I think it took us a quarter to get our playing legs back," said Riverdale coach Gina Miller, whose team will host Forest Park on Monday. "We did a much better job in the second half running our plays and getting the ball inside to our big girls. We've played a pretty demanding schedule through the first month of the season and we really needed that day off yesterday. I'm proud of the girls for playing as well as they did tonight."

While Riverdale owned an astonishing 60-29 advantage in rebounds, Forest Park (7-1) stayed close through three quarters despite a difficult night for senior guard Danni Jackson. After scoring 44 points in Saturday's win over Charles H. Flowers, Jackson connected on only 2-of-21 shots from the floor and finished with seven points, two fewer than teammate Shayla Drakeford who took half as many shots. Only three other players scored for the Bruins, who suffered their first setback of the season.

In the championship game of the Nat Gramblin Bracket, Georgetown Visitation (11-1) gradually got the better of Largo High (5-2) as the Cubs got plenty of production Kate Gillespie (22 points), Kristen Haley (21 points) and junior Nicole Krusen (19 points). Krusen eclipsed the 1,000-point mark in her career with a bucket in the first half when she scored 17 points to lead the Cubs to a 43-36 halftime advantage.

"I thought we came out a little sluggish tonight and in each game of the tournament," said Largo coach Ayanna Ball-Ward, who played for the Lions when they reached the IAABO tournament final four straight years. "I had spent time scouting Georgetown Visitation and I knew what they were going to try to do, but even I telling the girls what to expect we just didn't stop them. They're a very good team. I thought the competition was just what we needed to get us ready for the tougher teams ahead."

Largo sophomore Jessica Lyons led the Lions with 21 points, followed by teammates Brittany Taylor (15 points), Cierra Johnson (12 points) and Brianey Winslow (11 points). Taylor, Winslow and Johnson each had a pair of 3-point field goals and Lyons added another. Georgetown Visitation outscored the Lions in each quarter, but never by more than four points in any frame.

In earlier games on Monday, Blake defeated Northwestern, 63-34, Arundel slipped past Henry Wise, 50-43, South County upended DuVal, 53-2, and Good Counsel defeated tournament host Charles H. Flowers, 63-35, in the consolation game of the Joe Chase bracket. The five county public school teams were 0-5 on Monday and outscored by a combined sum of 304-200.

E-mail Ted Black at tblack@g-mail.com