St. Anne’s-Belfield’s girls basketball team’s defense was simply suffocating Tuesday night.
The Saints piled up 26 steals as a team led by Bailey Cullen’s eight thefts to finish pull away from St. Catherine’s 60-29 in the LIS semifinals, earning a spot in the conference title game at 5 p.m. Thursday against Trinity Episcopal.
Cullen was just two steals shy of a double double as she poured in 16 points, shooting 64 percent from the field while going 7-for-11.
Sierra Smith and Jovia Winkey each scored 15 points to account for the bulk of the offense, with Winkey dishing out four assists while coming up with five steals. Smith pulled down 13 rebounds for a double double.
Vanessa Woodfolk scored nine points and grabbed nine boards while also coming up with four steals. Alex Greer chipped in five steals.
The win sets up a rubber match with a Trinity Episcopal squad ranked No. 1 in the Richmond area after the Titans beat Collegiate 70-41 in the other semifinal. The two squads split their regular season meeting, with the Saints winning the last meeting 62-53 on the road.
