Dafne Lee-Blakney (right) pumps up her Southside team team during the 1A state championship in 2006. (David Hobby/The Baltimore Sun)

Dafne Lee-Blakney, a Walbrook graduate who played at Maryland and coached Southside to three state finals, has been named girls basketball coach at Western, principal Alisha Trusty announced Tuesday.

Lee-Blakney, who most recently coached at Coppin Academy, led Southside to the state Class 1A championship game each year from 2004 to 2006. They claimed the 2005 championship when New Town -- which won the title game 62-53 -- forfeited the title for using an ineligible player.

At Maryland, Lee-Blakney played on the 1992 Terrapins team that was ranked No. 1 for four weeks and reached the regional final, just one step away from the Final Four. She also played professionally in Switzerland, Belgium, Israel and Greece.

Lee-Blakney takes over a Doves team that reached the state Class 4A title game three of the last five years and won five of the last six Baltimore City championships. The Doves have won 14 regional titles and two state titles, 1994 and 1995.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 6:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

Roland Park All-Metro guard Daisy Alaeze has committed to play basketball for Virginia Commonwealth University, a Colonial Athletic Association team that played last season in the WNIT.

"I really fit into the program and it has the rural area that I like," Alaeze said of the Richmond school. "I enjoy the girls. They were really welcoming when I was down there and the area’s just a perfect fit for me."

Last winter, Alaeze, a 5-foot-10 guard, averaged 15 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.8 steals for the No. 7 Reds (12-12), who play in the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference. She has 969 career points.

After the season, Reds coach Scott Buckley said "[She] single-handedly makes us competitive in the top league."

Continue reading "Roland Park's Alaeze commits to VCU" »

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 2:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

Infiniti Alston, a 6-foot-5 center who will be a junior this fall at Digital Harbor has committed to play basketball at Penn State, according Rams coach Patrick MacDonald.

Alston will be in her first season with the Rams after playing previous years at St. Frances and Western.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 11:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Tyshell King, a second-team All-Metro guard from St. Frances, has committed to play for Wake Forest.

King, who will be a junior this year, chose Wake over Duke, West Virginia, Virginia, Georgetown, Syracuse, Penn State, Morgan State and Harvard. A 5-foot-11 shooting guard who also played the point last season, King averaged 18.8 points and 10 rebounds per game.

She plans to enter the pre-med program and study to become an anesthesiologist.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 12:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Western High School officials are seeking applicants for a head varsity girls basketball coach. The Doves have been one of Baltimore City's most successful programs and one of the most successful in the state, with 14 state tournament appearances and two titles. They have won five city titles and five regional titles in the last six years with three state title-game appearances.

Western is the oldest all-girls public school in the United States.

Candidates should submit a letter of application, resume(s) and professional coaching references by mail, email or fax to Western principal Alicia Trusty, Western High School, 4600 Falls Road, Baltimore, MD 21209 or atrusty@bcps.k12.md.us or 410-396-7492.

Deadline for applications is Aug. 29.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 8:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Western girls basketball coach Tiffany Silver found out Friday that she would not be returning for a seventh season as the Doves coach.

A 1998 Western graduate and former Doves player, Silver said she was told by Western principal Alisha Trusty that she and her staff were not being asked to come back. Silver said she wasn't given a "particular reason" for her release "just that we weren't coming back, that they were going in a different direction pretty much."

Saying that she was shocked and "crushed," Silver added, "You devote so much more than just time and you were an alum of that program. It meant a lot more to us. We were not just a fly-by-night coaching staff. We cared about what we did and we did a lot there."

Silver had a 126-29 record with the Doves, led them to five Baltimore City championships, five regional championships and three state title-game appearances. She said she has also graduated 100 percent of her players and all have gotten into college.

This past season, the No. 11 Doves finished 14-8 and defeated archrival Poly for the city Division I championship, but they dropped a heartbreaker to Catonsville in the regional playoffs and did not get back to the state tournament, where they reached the final in 2006, 2007 and 2010.

The Breezy Bishop Showcase, which Silver started in 2006 at Western, will continue although a new location will have to be found. She said 50 teams have committed to this year's event, Dec. 9 -11.

Silver, a city schools police officer, said she hopes to coach again soon, but for the rest of the summer, she will focus on the final weeks of her pregnancy. She and husband Nick Usher, who was the Doves JV coach, are expecting their first child, daughter Dorian Chanel Usher, on Sept. 8.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 12:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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When Seton Keough basketball coach Jackie Boswell decided to take the head coaching job at Stevenson University, she knew that would be the easy part.

Telling her players? Telling her fellow coaches? Actually walking away? Not so easy.

“It was harder than I thought after being there for 14 years,” Boswell said Wednesday. “I feel like I have a good rapport with the faculty, and so it was really difficult. Last week, I met with my coaches on Wednesday night, and I’ve had some of those same coaches for the entire time I’ve been there. Telling the girls on Thursday was really rough. A couple of the basketball players took it so hard that I almost turned around and said: ‘You know what? I’ll just stay,’ but they all are really happy for me.”

Boswell led the Gators to a 21-9 season last winter in which they were runners up in the IAAM A Conference and ranked No. 3. Six seniors from that basketball team were graduating, so when she learned of the Stevenson opening, Boswell decided the timing was right.

She's looking forward to a new challenge at Stevenson, which finished last season 4-21 but has had success in the past, going 20-7 in 2005-06 with a trip to the ECAC Division III South championship and finishing 19-10 the following year.

"I'm looking forward seeing if I can take the program to the next level," Boswell said. "I've been saying for years I think this area is really good to try to find some Division III players. There's so much good basketball being played in the Baltimore and D.C. and Pennsylvania, Virginia area, I think it will be fun to try to go to the next level and coach a bunch of kids moving on to the next phase of their lives."

Boswell made sure the decision was okay with the three most important girls in her life, daughters Kayla, 11; Elayna, 9; and Tessa, 7. They have been fixtures around the Seton Keough gym their whole lives, so it will be hard for them to leave, too.

The Mustangs' job, which she starts July 7, also will require more time during the summer. While getting her program going, Boswell expects to have to commit about the same amount of time as she did at Seton Keough, where she was also the athletic director and softball coach.

She said her daughters -- and her husband -- are used to her work schedule.

"For the past 10 years, I've worked such crazy hours and they've really grown up [at Seton Keough]. They don't know any other way really, and I hope that what I'm showing them -- especially having three daughters -- is that you really can do everything. I think it takes a huge supporting cast, and they're very supportive on their end and I do talk to them all the time about the things that they sacrifice, but it's really important, I think, for our family dynamic. That's what makes our family work."

Boswell has made it a priority to take one of the girls on every basketball trip she has taken while coaching or working camps.

"I've tried really hard over the past 10 years to include them in on everything that I can. As many trips as we go on -- like Seton Keough has gone to Texas -- I've taken one kid with me, so I can have some one-on-one time with that child and they feel like it's special. When I used to coach AAU, they would just rotate. I'm in Florida right now, getting ready to work the Florida camp [Thursday], and my middle daughter's with me."

Boswell said Seton Keough officials would interview prospective athletic director candidates next month, and, if they don't find someone who can also coach the basketball team, they will look for a separate basketball coach after that. She said she believes her assistant softball coach, Chris Snee, will take over the softball team and remain the JV basketball coach.

An exceptionally successful two-sport coach, Boswell was the All-Metro Basketball Coach of the Year in 2009 and the All-Metro Softball Coach of the Year in 2003. She led her teams to three IAAM A Conference crowns -- one in basketball and two in softball.

A graduate of Archbishop Spalding and Virginia Wesleyan, she played basketball and softball at both. At Seton Keough, she assisted Jim Stromberg for several years before taking over the head basketball coach position in 2000 when he moved on to St. Paul's.

The Gators, one of the area's top girls basketball programs long before Boswell arrived, remained among the area's best throughout her tenure. She took them to six A Conference finals and, in 2009, won that title as well as championships at the Bishop Walsh Girls Invitational Tournament and the ESPN Rise National Invitational. The Gators finished that season No. 1 in The Sun and No. 12 in the ESPN Rise poll.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 8:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

The coaches in the Upper Chesapeake Bay Athletic Conference have announced their all-division teams:

Chesapeake
First Team
Bri Jones, Aberdeen
Zameria Jones, Joppatowne
Nia Alleyne, Aberdeen
Shakara Head, Joppatowne
Rachael Holehouse, Fallston

Second Team
Sarah Heaps, North Harford
Jimmia McCluskey, Aberdeen
Morgan Golec, Patterson Mill
Quay Malloy, Joppatowne
Haley Ford, North Harford

Honorable Mention
Alyssa March, Fallston
Ayanna Stewart, Aberdeen
Desiree Foye, Elkton
Abbie Smucker, C. Milton Wright

Susquehanna Division
First Team
Allanah Galloway, Harford Tech
Maria Kalambihis, Harfod Tech
Heather Lesniowski, Rising Sun
Connor Hanley, Bel Air
Kebrina Johnson, Edgewood

Second Team
Heather Hancharick, Bohemia Manor
Madison Story, North East
Kelsey Lovelace, Perryville
Emily Edmunds, Harford Tech
Caela Tindilia, Bel Air

Honorable Mention
Brynae Goodley, Bohemia Manor
Jasmine Mutunga, Bel Air
Alyssa Henry, Rising Sun
Ashley Frazier, Harford Tech
Candace Knight, Havre de Grace
Whitney Hynson, Perryville
Megan Ferch, North East

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 2:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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The Baltimore County girls basketball coaches have named their All-County teams;

Firest Team
Ateh Ade, Western Tech, Jr., Forward
Taylor Burgess, Randallstown, Sr., Forward/Guard
Tracey Carrington, Dundalk, Sr., Guard
Shadequa Longus, Woodlawn, Sr., Guard
Julia McLaughlin, Hereford, Jr., Center
Jannah Tucker, New Town, Soph., Guard
Zoey Whittington, Catonsville, Sr., Forward

Second Team
Ariana Foote, Franklin, Soph., Center
Nancy Kelly, Dulaney, Sr., Forward
Kara Kleinhammer, Loch Raven, Sr., Guard
Janelle Lane, Woodlawn, Jr., Center
Tyshay Montgomery, Western Tech, Jr., Guard
Kinross Obiefule, Perry Hall, Soph., Guard
Rebecca Silver, Hereford, Sr., Guard
Ebony Smith, Owings Mills, Sr., Center

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 1:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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The Anne Arundel County girls basketball coaches have announced their All-County teams:

First Team
Imani Bailey, Meade
Latifah Butler, Northeast
Denver Clyde, North County
Domonique Hagins, South River
Tiffany Grant, Arundel

Second Team
Bre Bolden, South River
Brooke Echard, Southern
Mikayla Jerkins, Severna Park
Maddie Keating, Severna Park
Kameron Ward, Broadneck

Honorable Mention
Ayonche Clash, North County
Aleeyah Hopkins, South River
Dinah Jones, Broadneck
Allysha McFarland, Annapolis
Jamie McKeither, Meade
Breonna Pinkcett, Arundel
Natesha Riley, Old Mill
Rose Smith, Chesapeake

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 1:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

The season isn't over yet for Archbishop Spalding's No. 1 girls basketball team.

The Cavaliers (28-4) have accepted an invitation to play in the ESPN RISE National High School Invitational April 1 and 2 at Georgetown Prep's Hanley Center in Bethesda.

The girls semifinals will be held April 1 at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. with the championship the following day at noon. The semifinals will be broadcast live on ESPNU with the title game on ESPN2.

Others in the four-team field: Riverdale Baptist, which the Cavaliers defeated 69-58 in December at the Breezy Bishop Classic, and Hollywood Christian and Dr. Phillips, both from Florida.

Riverdale Baptist, from Upper Marlboro, is always a top rival for the best Baltimore teams, while Hollywood has won its games by an average of 61.7 points this season, according to the press realease from ESPN. Dr. Phillips features freshman guard Taryn Griffey, whose dad is Ken Griffey Jr.

At the first tournament in 2009, Seton Keough defeated Riverdale Baptist in the girls championship game and St. Frances also played in the tournament. Spalding coach Bookie Rosemond said both local coaches told him the tournament was something he should look into.

Although this extends the season two weeks longer than expected, Rosemond said the girls were eager to play.

"They're tired, I know, but this is something they're really looking forward to," he said. "They really roll out the red carpet. The national television exposure. It's just a great opportunity for the girls. It's tough for us now -- because we thought our season was over -- to get remotivated, get back together and prepare for what sounds like three pretty good teams."

None of Spalding's top six -- Maggie Morrison, Shaquilla Curtis, Brya Freeland, Sherea Swinson, Camille Calhoun and Raven Makins -- plays a spring sport, so they don't mind extending a 28-4 season that began Nov. 26 and includes their first IAAM A Conference championship in nine years as well as a 4-0 run through their bracket at the Nike Tournament of Champions the week after Christmas.

Any more events on the horizon after the ESPN tournament?

"This is it," Rosemond said with a laugh. "I sure hope it is, because I'm exhausted."

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 2:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

The 23rd annual Anne Arundel County Senior All-Star Classic will take place tonight at Old Mill High School. The North-South games will bring together more than 50 of the county's top seniors with the girls game scheduled for 6 p.m. followed by the boys at 8. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the door.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 10:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

The season resumes Thursday for No. 1 Archbishop Spalding and No. 4 Seton Keough as they head to Cumberland for the 17th Annual Bishop Walsh Girls Invitational Tournament.

The tournament -- the girls' answer to the boys' Alhambra Tournament -- features the top Catholic school teams from Maryland, Washington D.C., Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. This year all of the teams, other than the hosts, are from Baltimore or Washington.

The top two Catholic school finishers from the IAAM A Conference are invited. Spalding and Seton Keough reached the final on Feb. 20 with Spalding winning. Sometimes, the A Conference title contenders face each other again as happened last season when No. 1 St. Frances defeated No. 2 Spalding for the fourth time in one season to claim the Bishop Walsh title.

If the Cavaliers and the Gators meet again, it would be for the fourth time this season, with Spalding having swept all three so far. The Cavaliers won the A Conference title, 53-48, thanks to a big finish from senior guard Maggie Morrison, who hit the game-winning layup with 40 seconds left and then added three of four free throws. That came after the Gators erased a 15-point Cavaliers lead to tie at 48 with 40.7 seconds to go.

The last time the Cavaliers won the A Conference championship -- in 2002 -- they beat Seton Keough for the title and then met them again in the Bishop Walsh Tournament. But the Gators got their revenge, beating Spalding in the consolation final.

They could meet again, perhaps in the title game, because they are in separate brackets. To get to the title game, however, they first have to contend with some of Washington's finest.

The Cavaliers open with Elizabeth Seton at 7:45 p.m. Thursday night followed by Good Counsel vs. Georgetown Visitation at 8. In the other half of the bracket, the Gators face St. John's at 4:45 after Holy Cross plays Bishop Walsh at 3:15.

Spalding and Seton Keough have gone 1-3 against those Washington teams this year. Spalding lost to St. John's, 52-46, and defeated Holy Cross, 74-68, in an early-season tournament at Holy Cross. The Gators lost to Holy Cross, 55-48, and to Good Counsel, 50-48, in their first two games.

The semifinals will be held on Friday with the championship and consolation games Saturday. For complete bracket details click here for the official tournament site.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 10:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

The UMBC women’s basketball team did not win its America East tournament semifinal Sunday afternoon, leaving RAC Arena available to the state girls basketball tournament as originally scheduled for Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Here is the schedule:

Thursday
State semifinals
Class 4A
Wise vs. Urbana, 3
Gaithersburg vs. North Point, 5
Class 3A
Aberdeen vs. Largo, 7
Howard vs. Frederick, 9
Friday
State semifinals
Class 2A
Digital Harbor vs. Calvert, 3
Middletown vs. Elkton, 5
Class 1A
Dunbar vs. Joppatowne, 7
Northern of Garrett County vs. Mardela, 9

Saturday
State championships
Class 2A, 1 p.m.
Class 4A, 3 p.m.
Class 1A, 6 p.m.
Class 3A, 8 p.m.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 3:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

The girls basketball regional championships have been set for Saturday. Winners move on to next week's state semifinals at UMBC's RAC Arena. Here are the local matchups.

Class 4A North
Woodlawn at Urbana, 5

Class 4A East
South River at North Point, 6

Class 3A North
No. 2 Aberdeen at Hereford, 6

Class 3A East
Centennial at Howard, 2

Class 2A North
No. 15 Digital Harbor at Randallstown, noon

Class 2A South
Calvert at No. 7 Glenelg, 7

Class 2A West
Middletown at No. 9 Liberty, 1

Class 1A North
No. 3 Joppatowne at Harford Tech, noon

Class 1A South
Surrattsville at No. 13 Dunbar, 1

For the complete schedule go to mpssaa.org.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 9:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

Thursday's girls regional basketball game between Patterson and Urbana has been moved to 6 p.m. Playing an hour earlier will help the Clippers can get home a bit earlier from Urbana, which is a 55-mile bus ride away in Ijamsville, Frederick County.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 4:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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The IAAM A Conference coaches have selected their 2010-2011 All-Star team:

Maggie Morrison, Archbishop Spalding
Achiri Ade, Seton Keough
Shaquilla Curtis, Archbishop Spalding
Daisy Alaeze, Roland Park
Sherae Swinson, Archbishop Spalding
Liz Brown, Seton Keough
Candice Hendricks, McDonogh
Amber Singletary, Seton Keough
Tyshell King, St. Frances
Taryn Durant, McDonogh
Brya Freeland, Archbishop Spalding

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 9:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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The IAAM B Conference coaches have selected their 2010-2011 All-Star team:

Melanie Mocniak, St. Mary's
Rachel Quinn, Notre Dame Prep
Hannah Schmidt, Mount de Sales
Maria Edwards, John Carroll
Mary Kate Conway, Notre Dame Prep
Miranda Ripken, John Carroll
Katie McKenna, Notre Dame Prep
Shaniya Rentie, Garrison Forest
Gabby Clarke, Mount de Sales
Jennifer Broussard, St. Mary's

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 9:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

The IAAM C Conference coaches have selected their 2010-2011 All-Star team:

Bealela Donnelly, Friends
Victoria Schuler, St. Timothy's
Marial Price, St. John's
Lindsay Torbeck, Catholic
Brittany Winborne, Catholic
Sam Domoracki, Annapolis Area Christian
Jacki Lebau, Beth Tfiloh
Emma Sissman, Friends
Christine Hagan, St. John's
Emily Maquina, Chapelgate

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 9:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

This year's regional playoffs have been tough on last year's state girls basketball champions, leaving Joppatowne as the only team with a chance to defend its title.

The Mariners, who won last year's Class 1A title, got 27 points from Shakara Head in rolling over Loch Raven, 70-47, in a North region quarterfinal Tuesday night . They host Western Tech In Thursday night's semifinal at 7 p.m.

Defending state Class 4A champ Arundel and Class 2A champ Fallston both fell in Tuesday night's quarterfinals. The Cougars, who had won two straight championships, got 29 points from Rachael Holehouse but could not get past Elkton, falling 55-48. Arundel lost to North Point, 54-46.

Seneca Valley, which rallied to beat Western for last year's Class 3A crown, lost in the opening round to Quince Orchard, 64-52.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 9:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

Times are set for the girls regional basketball semifinals Thursday night. Here is the schedule for the games involving local teams. The winners advance to the finals Saturday at the higher seed.

Class 4A North
Patterson at Urbana, 6
Dulaney at Woodlawn, 7

Class 4A East
Broadneck at North Point, 7
South River at Meade, 7

Class 3A North
Poly at Aberdeen, 7
Catonsville at Hereford, 7

Class 3A East
Centennial at River Hill, 7
Reservoir at Howard, 7

Class 2A North
Lansdowne at Randallstown, 7
City at Digital Harbor, 6

Class 2A South
Oakland Mills at Glenelg, 7

Class 2A East
Eklton at Bel Air, 6

Class 2A West
North Hagerstown at Liberty, 7

Class 1A North
Owings Mills at Harford Tech, 7
Western Tech at Joppatowne, 7

Class 1A South
Carver at Dunbar, 5

For the complete schedule, go to mpssaa.org.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 8:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

Maryland public schools athletics officials have had to come up with a contingency plan for the girls state basketball tournament at UMBC's RAC Arena in case the UMBC women's basketball team hosts the America East tournament championship.

The America East final would take place at 7 p.m. March 12 -- the scheduled date for the MPSSAA state finals.

The Retrievers won the regular-season conference title, and if they are the highest seed to make it to the tournament championship, they would host the title game. The semifinals are March 6. If the Retrievers host the game, RAC Arena would be closed to the high school tournament March 11 for preparations as well as March 12.

Under the contingency plan, the state semifinals would be held March 9 and 10, with the title games March 14 and 15.

State officials took into consideration the history of playing at UMBC and the desire to keep the tournament at a Division I facility in making their decision.

Here is the contingency plan:
State semifinals
Wednesday, March 9
Class 1A: 3 and 5 p.m.
Class 2A: 7 and 9 p.m.
Thursday, March 10
Class 4A: 3 and 5 p.m.
Class 3A: 7 and 9 p.m.

State finals
Monday, March 14
Class 1A, 5:30 p.m.
Class 3A, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, March 15
Class 2A, 5:30 p.m.
Class 4A, 7:30 p.m.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 6:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

The Baltimore area will be well represented with 10 seniors participating in the 2011 Elite Showcase Basketball Classic, which features boys and girls North-South all-star games set for Sunday March 20 at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.

Representing the North squad in the boys' game are Nick Faust (City, Maryland), Greg Lewis (St. Frances, Rutgers), Ryan McTavish (South Carroll, Presbyterian), and former Lake Clifton standout Durand Johnson (Brewster Academy, N.H., Pittsburgh), while Greg Whittington (Oakland Mills, undecided) will dress for the South team.

In the girls' game, Achiri Ade (Seton Keough, James Madison) and Ciara Webb (Patterson, Towson) will play for the North with Maggie Morrison (Spalding, Vanderbilt), Shaquila Curtis (Spalding, American) and Melanie Mocniak (St. Mary's, Mount St. Mary's) representing the South.

The ESBC is in partnership with the NBA's Washington Wizards and WNBA's Washington Mystics. Both contests will take place on March 20 following the Wizards' 1 p.m. game against the New Jersey Nets. For tickets to the event, you must purchase a ticket for the Wizards-Nets game.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 10:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Boys basketball, Girls basketball
        

The Western-Catonsville girls basketball game in the first round of regional playoffs will be played at Catonsville, not at Western as reported in today's paper.

In what has become an annual regional playoff meeting between the two programs, Catonsville will host the Class 3A North first-round game at 7 p.m. Friday. The winner will move on to play the Towson-Milford Mill winner on Tuesday.

No. 8 Western, which won the Baltimore City championship last night, is the defending regional champion and reached the state title game last season.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 10:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

After losing to Aberdeen two weeks ago, Joppatowne's girls basketball team had pretty much resigned itself to missing out on the Upper Chesapeake Bay Athletic Conference championship game.

No. 2 Aberdeen's schedule included one more game than No. 3 Joppatowne's and a victory would give the Eagles the edge in the Chesapeake Division and a berth in the title game against Harford Tech, the Susquehanna Division champ. But Tuesday's snow forced the cancellation of Aberdeen's final game, against Riverdale Baptist, so the season ended in a tie -- through four tie breakers.

A coin flip would have to decide which team advanced to the championship game.

Tuesday morning, Joppatowne won the coin toss and will play Harford Tech Wednesday night at 7 p.m. at Edgewood High School.

Because of the snowy weather, UCBAC commissioner Bob Slagle held the coin flip in his house with the blessing of Harford County supervisor of athletics Ken Zorbach, Joppatowne athletic director Michael Harris (also the girls basketball coach) and Aberdeen AD Tim Lindecamp.

Slagle said he asked Zorbach if he needed a witness and Zorbach said Slagle’s wife would be fine.

While several levels of the tie breaker have been needed to determine a division winner in the past, Slagle said there had never been a coin flip. This is the eighth season for the UCBAC, which includes teams from Harford and Cecil counties.

Aberdeen and Joppatowne, who split their regular-season meetings, were tied through the first four UCBAC tiebreakers:
Chesapeake Division record: 11-1
Head to head: 1-1
Record minus holiday tournaments: 18-1
Overall record: 20-1

Missing the game with Riverdale Baptist, The Washington Post’s No. 2 team, now leaves the Eagles without a game until next Tuesday’s regional quarterfinal.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 3:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

Two weeks ago, Western's girls basketball team clung to only an outside possibility that it would make it to the Baltimore City Division I girls basketball championship. With Dunbar unbeaten in the division and Poly and City having one loss each, the Doves' two losses appeared enough to shut them out.

How things have changed.

After finishing in a three-way tie for second place with Dunbar and City, the No. 8 Doves won the tie breaker and will play No. 7 Poly for the Division I championship Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Baltimore City Community College.

First, the Doves helped themselves with a 74-66 overtime win over 10 Dunbar on Feb. 8. Then, they had to wait for a little help. Digital Harbor provided the assistance, knocking off Dunbar Friday night, 52-48, to drop the Poets to 7-2 in the division, the same record as Western's.

Friday night at No. 11 City, Poly sealed its berth in the title game with a 40-35 win that gave the Engineers an 8-1 division record. City fell to 7-2.

Western, Dunbar and City were each 1-1 against the other two, so it game down to winning percentage vs. Maryland Public Secondary School Athletic Association opponents.

Western, with only two losses to to MPSSAA teams had the best winning percentage, edging Dunbar which had three losses. City, last year's city champion, was a distant third with all eight of its losses to MPSSAA opponents.

Western won four straight city championships from 2006 to 2009, but did not make it to the title game last year. Wednesday night's game will be a rematch of the Jan. 14 game won by Poly 50-42.

"The kids clearly want revenge," Western coach Tiffany Silver said. "That was our Homecoming night, so to lose at homecoming to them doesn't feel very good, but we figure we'll see them again in the regionals too."

Poly will be looking for its first championship since 1996.

This is the first time the city league has been split into a strong division and a weaker division, putting all the powerhouses -- Poly, Western, City, Digital Harbor, Dunbar -- in the same division so they all play each other during the regular season and the top two play off for the title. In years past, the top two teams in each division played for the city title, but many times, all of the top contenders were in one division, resulting in a lopside city championship game.

"This is what we've been wanting for the last five years, to make it more competitive so you don't have one team on one side that doesnt' have to win any big games to make it to the city championship," Silver said. "Last year the game was competitive with Digital and City, but prior to that, we won every city championship by 30-40 points, so I definitely love the way they did it this year."

In the Division II title game, Southside will face Southwestern at 5 p.m. Wednesday at BCCC.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 5:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

Here are the matchups for tonight's IAAM basketball semifinals:

A Conference
St. Vincent Pallotti at Archbishop Spalding, 5:30
Seton Keough at McDonogh, 7

B Conference
Norre Dame Prep at Mt. de Sales, 5:30
St. Mary’s at John Carroll, 5:30

C Conference
Friends at St. John’s-CP, 5:30
St. Timothy’s at Catholic, 5:30

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 10:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

When the nominees for the 2011 McDonald's All-American High School Basketball Games were announced last week, one player was inadvertently left off the list -- Seton Keough forward Achiri Ade.

Ade, a 6-foot-1 All-Metro forward, joins 15 other local boys and girls nominated for the game which will be played March 30 at the United Center in Chicago. The final rosters of 24 boys and 24 girls -- chosen from among the 2,000 nominees -- will be announced Feb. 10 at 5:30 p.m. on the McDonald's All-American Selection Show on ESPNU.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 7:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

Fifteen local girls and boys basketball players have been nominated for the 2011 McDonald's All-American Games on March 30. The final rosters -- chosen from among the 2,000 nominees -- will be announced next month.

The boys nominees are Kendrick Anderson and Nick Faust, City; Greg Lewis and R.J. Williams, St. Frances; Greg Whittington, Oakland Mills; Eric Savage, Old Mill; and James Milton, Parkville;

The girls nominees are Maggie Morrison, Archbishop Spalding; Amber Singletary and Liz Brown, Seton Keough; Ciara Webb, Patterson; Taryn Durant and Candice Hendricks, McDonogh; Brielle Ward, Western; and Indigo Dickens, Wilde Lake.

The final 24 boys and 24 girls will be named Feb. 10 at 5:30 p.m. on the McDonald's All-American Selection Show on ESPNU. The games will be played at the United Center in Chicago.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 6:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

When Ellen Fitzkee took over the Hereford girls’ basketball program this winter, she knew most of her players were more focused on other sports, but they were athletic and that fit right into the former Towson University coach’s style, emphasizing full-court defense and rebounding.

The combination has the Bulls off to one of the best starts in school history at 11-1.

“Basketball for most of them is not the first sport, but they’re athletes and so they understand competitiveness and they understand grittiness and I think they were always a scrappy-type team, so I’m just taking that and using it on the full court. You can bring defense and you can rebound every night with heart and hustle," Fitzkee said.

Having eight seniors, including seven who return, also has been key, said Fitzkee, who coached the Randallstown girls for three years and took them to the Baltimore County title game in 2007 and 2008.

Although the Bulls fell to Catonsville, 54-43, in the third game of the season, they have beaten some of their toughest rivals in the county’s Class 4A-3A Division, including tight wins over Dulaney, 31-30, and Milford Mill, 50-46 in the last two weeks. Before that, they edged Maryvale, 54-52.

Four seniors start – Marieke Oosterwijk (9.9 points per game), Rebecca Silver (7.2 points), Megan Bell and Michelle Oosterwijk. Their top scorer is a junior, Julia McLaughlin, a 5-foot-11 forward playing center with 12.7 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.7 blocks a game.

Continue reading "Fitzkee, seniors have Bulls girls riding high at 11-1" »

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 2:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

Due to yesterday's snow, the schedule for the Lady Millers Holiday Tournament will be moved back a day. Today's slate of basketball games will be played tomorrow and Tuesday's schedule of finals and consolation games will go on Wednesday. Although the tournament is hosted by Milford Mill, alll games will be played at New Town High School.

Milford Mill coach DeToiya McAliley said that while travel conditions weren't bad for teams close to the New Town area, some teams -- including Kent Island and Elkton -- are coming from places that had more snow.

Here is the schedule for Tuesday's games:
White Division: New Town vs. Kent Island, 1:30 p.m.; Walter Johnson vs. Eklton, 3.
Gold Division: Milford Mill vs. Centennial, 4:30; City vs. Walt Whitman, 6.
Green Division: Poly vs. Thomas Stone, 7; Frederick vs.Parkdale, 9.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 9:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

Girls basketball players from John Carroll, Aberdeen, Perryville and North East raised nearly $15,000 for the Shooting Santas Foundation and they are ready to shop for their adopted families.

Earlier this month, the players raised much of the money by lining up sponsors and shooting 50 free throws each. Monday, each girl will shop for one member of one of the 15 adopted families. The gifts will be wrapped and delivered on Dec. 23.

Money was also raised at the Harford County-Baltimore County Challenge Friday and Saturday at John Carroll. In addition to the host team, Fallston, C. Milton Wright, Edgewood, Catonsville, Franklin, Milford Mill and Perry Hall participated.

The Harford County teams won the overall challenge, 7-1, with Franklin's 53-38 win over C. Milton Wright the only win for a Baltimore County team.

Since its founding 1998, the Shooting Santas Foundation, an organization headquartered through the John Carroll girls basketball program, has raised more than $54,000 to provide families with Christmas gifts they could not otherwise afford.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 3:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

The girls basketball teams from John Carroll, Aberdeen, Perryville and North East will play Santa Claus on Saturday, shooting hoops in their annual Shooting Santas Foundation fundraiser at Aberdeen High School at 10:30 a.m.

The players have lined up sponsors and will shoot 50 free throws each, raising money from each one they make.

Since its founding 1998, the Shooting Santas Foundation has brought in more than $40,000, including a record-setting $15,000 last season. The players hope to raise $20,000 this year to help 20 families have Christmas gifts they would not otherwise be able to afford

"The goal of SSF is to make sure no kid wakes up Christmas morning thinking Santa forgot to stop at their house this year," said John Carroll coach Mike Blizzard in a news release.

Once the money is collected, a player shops with a member of each family. They are wrapped and presented to the family on Dec. 23 while the children are in school, so they can believe that Santa delivered the gifts on Christmas morning.

Continue reading "Basketball Santas shoot hoops for others" »

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 4:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

St. Frances sophomores Tyshell King and Infiniti Alston have been named preseason honorable mention girls basketball All-Americans by The Sporting News.

King returns to play for the defending IAAM A Conference champion Panthers while Alston has transferred from Western.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 10:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

The schedule has been finalized for the 5th Annual Breezy Bishop Showcase, which features top girls basketball action from teams all over the Mid-Atlantic, Dec. 10, 11 and 12 in the Western and Poly gyms.

In addition to the host teams, last season's No. 1 St. Frances, the defending IAAM A Conference champion, and No. 2 Archbishop Spadling will be in action along with Seton Keough, City, Digital Harbor, Fallston and Mercy. All will meet teams from out of the area with the only local matchup between Seton Keough and Digital Harbor Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Poly.

Friday, Dec. 10

Western gym

Miller (Va.) vs. Hill (Pa.), 4
Western vs. National Christian, 6
Cape Henry (Va.) vs. Peddie (N.J.), 8

Poly gym

Poly vs. Largo, 5
Frederick vs. Forest Park (Va.), 7
Spalding vs. Riverdale Baptist, 9

Continue reading "Breezy Bishop Showcase schedule set" »

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 11:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

Former Bryn Mawr assistant Jonathan Scruggs has been named the varsity basketball coach at Elizabeth Seton High in Bladensburg.

Scruggs worked as an assistant coach for the Mawrtians for the past three seasons after helping Chaminade-Julienne Catholic High School in Dayton, Ohio to an Ohio District runner-up finish as an assistant in 2006.

“We are very excited to have Jonathan Scruggs join the Elizabeth Seton athletic family,” athletic director Candy Cage said in a statement. “We feel very fortunate to have someone of his caliber and experience at the helm of our basketball program. Coach Scruggs’ morals, values and coaching philosophy make him an ideal fit for Seton basketball.”

Posted by Baltimore Sun sports at 3:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

Mount de Sales alum Erin Brady, who graduated from West Virginia University in May, has been hired as a graduate assistant coach for the Lady Mountaineers women's basketball team.

Brady, who was a standout softball and basketball player at Mount de Sales, graduated from West Virginia with a 3.9 grade-point average.

Her father, John Brady, has coached the Annapolis High boys basketball team for the past 33 years and is the state's all-time winningest public schools coach.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

Archbishop Spalding junior Maggie Morrison has orally committed to play basketball for Vanderbilt in 2011-12.

Morrison chose the Southeastern Conference university in Nashville over 52 other programs, including Kansas State, Nebraska, James Madison, Delaware, Drexel, Richmond and Liberty.

She said that in addition the campus, coaches and players, she also liked the Commodores' style of play and their high level of dedication.

"They play just like I do," Morrison said. "They like to push the tempo, but at the same time, they can slow it down, run an offense, run plays and they all play tough. They all play hard the entire time. I talked to some of the girls and they all say, 'We're willing to work. We want to compete for a national championship.' They want to do well and that's something that appeals to me, too."'

A multi-talented 5-foot-8 All-Metro guard, Morrison averaged 14 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals for the No. 2 Cavaliers, who were runners-up in the IAAM A Conference. A strong shooter with 3-point range, Morrison was the court leader for the Cavaliers.

Her high school coach Bookie Rosemond said she would be a great fit for Vanderbilt, which plays in the highly-competitive SEC.

“Going to one of the best conferences around, playing LSU and Tennessee a couple times -- and Vanderbilt has a legitimate chance to compete for the national title -- she’s up for the challenge,” Rosemond said.

Morrison was also an All-Metro first-team selection in soccer, scoring 18 goals and 10 assists for the No. 1 Cavaliers last fall. She scored six game-winning goals, including one in the 2-0 A Conference title game against Mercy.

Even with her success in soccer, Morrison said she always knew she would play basketball in college.

"I used to play with my older brother. When I was younger and all his friends were playing in the neighborhood, I used to go out and just play with them all day, hours upon hours," said Morrison, whose brother Pat now plays lacrosse at Maryland.

She is undecided on a major and said she would like to play professionally, if not in the WNBA then overseas.

Morrison will keep working toward that this summer with her Amateur Athletic Union team the Maryland Lady Terps.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 5:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

The boys and girls Baltimore City-Baltimore County senior All-Star games are set for Friday, with the boys game at 6 p.m. at Woodlawn and the girls also playing at 6 at Parkville.

Here are the rosters for the two games.

Baltimore City boys

Stanton Kidd, Edmondson
Sean Thomas, Edmondson
Jerry Lovelocke, Edmondson
Davon Usher, Digital Harbor
Justin Jackson, Digital Harbor
Corey Spence, Dunbar
Derrell Edwards, Dunbar
Roderick Camphor, Dunbar
Jordan Latham, City
Aron Nwankwo, City
Mark Trafton, Reginald Lewis
Brian Lewis, Patterson
Trevon Curbeam, Douglass
Desmond Johnson, Northwestern
Montray Clemens, Poly

Baltimore County boys

Denzel Walker, Parkville
Brandon Fields, Owings Mills
Keylin Ortiz, Owings Mills
Malcolm Thomas, Owings Mills
Max Mendelzon, Franklin
Anthony Goode, Milford Mill
Jimmy Hamilton, Milford Mill
Cole Fisher, Hereford
Colby Giacubeno, Perry Hall
Devohn Gilmore, Pikesville
Jarrel Cox, Pikesville
Lucas Mosca, Towson
Jamal Brown, Overlea
Max Wilson, Loch Raven
Brent Arrington, Lansdowne

Baltimore City girls
Delores Bell, City
Kayla Dillard, City
Jumanah Giles, City
Carissa Shropshire, City
Briana Bonaparte, Poly
Moriah Goodman, Poly
Cynthia Johnson, Poly
Aivah Parham, Poly
Janay Brinkley, Digital Harbor
Nichelle Groom, Digital Harbor
Kiniasin Buie, Dunbar
Jessica Paschall, Dunbar
Dominque Brooks, Douglass
Monaya Jones, Poly
MicQuel Stevenson, Western

Baltimore County girls

Kelsie Sloan, Perry Hall
Rachel Smith, Perry Hall
Latrese Friday, Perry Hall
Jennifer Elkin, Carver A&T
Lauren Elkin, Carver A&T
Candace McCray, Catonsville
Maya Torain, Catonsville
Precious Kollock, Patapsco
Taquasia Lambert, Patapsco
Nykia Knight, Chesapeake
Tiearra Jones, Dundalk
Maddie Kern, Hereford
Tiffany Jantzen, Dulaney
Breonna Blount, Milford MIll
Janasia Harris, New Town

Posted by Glenn Graham at 1:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Boys basketball, Girls basketball
        

AKRON

Jasmine Mushington, sophomore forward (Baltimore native, went to Archbishop Carroll) –

72-46 win over Eastern Michigan in Mid-American Conference tournament Wednesday: 2-for-5 from the field, 1-for-2 from the free-throw line, five points, two defensive rebounds, five assists, two steals, one block, two turnovers, two fouls in 21 minutes

81-49 loss to Bowling Green in MAC tournament Friday: 0-for-4 FG, 2-for-2 FT, two points, one defensive rebound, one assist, three turnovers, three fouls in 17 minutes

Continue reading "The Next Level - women's roundup for March 15" »

Posted by Steve Gould at 2:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

When Fallston's girls basketball team won its state semifinal game Friday night, it kept a unique streak alive for one of its players.

The last three teams that senior McKenzie Hannahs has played -- and started on -- have won state championships: Basketball, lacrosse and soccer. In more than 20 years of covering high school sports in the Baltimore area, I have never heard of a streak like that.

Although it probably happens in cross country and track, it has to be extremely rare in three different team-only sports. Most high school athletes are fortunate to win one state title in their four years, much less three in three seasons. Think of how many never even get to a state tournament.

"I am spoiled, really spoiled," said Hannahs, with a laugh after the unranked Cougars upset No. 3 Digital Harbor, 42-31, in Friday's state Class 2A semifinal.

"I'm just honored to have all these titles and, hopefully, another title [Saturday]. I'm blessed with so many good athletes that go to my school. It's just awesome. I'm going to look back on it all the time and tell my kids. I'm just blessed.

"We have some great coaches who support us and all the girls, we have a great time. Every team I play with, we all have fun and then [late coach Vern] Brown was a big part of it, so we love to do it for him all the time," said Hannahs, referring to the former Cougars soccer and basketball coach who died in November.

"It's been fun. I love all my teammates and I love all my sports," said Hannahs, who played every minute of Friday's game and had four points, six rebounds, two steals and a block in a strong team effort.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 12:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

AKRON

Jasmine Mushington, sophomore forward (Baltimore native, went to Archbishop Carroll) –

67-64 loss at Kent State on Wednesday: 6-for-10 from the field, 1-for-1 from 3-point range, 3-for-4 from the foul line, 16 points, five rebounds (two offensive), five assists, one steal, six turnovers, three fouls in 25 minutes

72-65 home win over Miami (Ohio) on Saturday: 2-for-2 FG, four points, one steal, one turnover, two fouls in 19 minutes

Continue reading "The Next Level -- women's hoops roundup for March 1" »

Posted by Steve Gould at 12:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland has announced its basketball all-stars from the C Conference:

Jennie Ballenger, St. John's
Courtney Beckett, Odlfields
Rose Coll, Park
Sam Domoracki, Annapolis Area Christian
Bealela Donnelly, Friends
Kristen Johnson, Oldfields
Shira Ness, Beth Tfiloh
Mariel Pierce, St. John's
Emma Sissman, Friends
Adrienne Tarver, Park
Brittany Winborne, Catholic

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 2:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

The Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland has announced its basketball all-stars from the B Conference:

Leah Cranmer, Severn
Brittney Davis, St. Vincent Pallotti
Cara Facchina, Mount de Sales
Meghan Helm, Notre Dame Prep
Maggie McElroy, Maryvale
Katie McKenna, Notre Dame Prep
Melanie Mocniak, St. Mary's
Rachel Quinn, Notre Dame Prep
Tiffany Padgett, St. Vincent Pallotti
Aura Payne, Severn
Amanda Wolfe, John Carroll

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 11:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

The Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland has announced its basketball all-stars from the A Conference:

Achiri Ade, Seton Keough
Daisy Alaeze, Roland Park
Shaquila Curtis, Archbishop Spalding
Deanna Harmon, St. Frances
Shatyra Hawkes, St. Frances
Candice Hendricks, McDonogh
Briana Hutchen, St. Frances
Maggie Morrison, Archbiship Spalding
Amber Singletary, Seton Keough
Ava Trageser, Mercy

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 9:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

AKRON

Jasmine Mushington, sophomore forward (Baltimore native, went to Archbishop Carroll) –

66-56 loss to visiting Bowling Green on Saturday: 3-for-4 from the field, 0-for-2 from the free-throw line, six points, four rebounds (two offensive), five turnovers, four fouls in 14 minutes

Continue reading "The Next Level - women's hoops roundup for Feb. 22" »

Posted by Steve Gould at 10:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

AKRON

Jasmine Mushington, sophomore forward (Baltimore native, went to Archbishop Carroll) –

74-68 loss at Toledo on Wednesday: 0-for-2 from the field, 0-for-1 from 3-point range, 1-for-2 from the free-throw line, one point, two defensive rebounds, three turnovers, fouled out in nine minutes

63-57 road win over Buffalo on Saturday: 1-for-2 FG, two points, one defensive rebound in seven minutes

Continue reading "The Next Level -- women's hoops roundup for Feb. 15" »

Posted by Steve Gould at 7:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Jess Harlee raced into girls basketball practice Monday morning at Fallston feeling better than she had in a long time.

After rehabilitating the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee, which she tore in August, Harlee was cleared to go full-tilt in practice. For a girl whose full-tilt is about three gears higher than most people can manage, sitting out the first 2 1/2 months of her senior basketball season has been excruciating. She expects to play her first game this week.

“I can’t wait,” she said after rushing from physical therapy to the doctor to practice Monday morning. “I just ran into practice. I was so excited to be going all-out scrimmaging.”

Harlee, a 6-foot forward, had an exceptional All-Metro junior season, leading the Cougars to a 28-0 record and the state Class 3A championship. In the title game, a 65-62 win over highly favored Paint Branch, she had 28 points, including 19 in the fourth quarter, when she went 10-for-12 from the free-throw line and hit two clutch foul shots with 3.3 seconds to go.

She would have been a front-runner for Player of the Year this winter, but she tore the ACL while playing with her Fairfax Stars Amateur Athletic Union team at the Nike Nationals in Georgia.

Three weeks ago, she was able to return to the Cougars’ practices, doing everything except scrimmaging.

She has worked on strengthening her hips and quadriceps to help prevent a recurrence of the injury, but reeling in her aggressive, all-out play probably won’t happen.

“I’m going to try to stay on the floor when I come back, but I can’t make any promises,” said Harlee, who has been known to crash into the stands while chasing a loose ball.

“I feel I just need to go out and play. I have to be aware of it, don’t go for a right-handed layup if someone’s going to undercut me, but I can’t not be aggressive. That’s not who I am.”

In November, Harlee signed a letter of intent to play at West Virginia, so she made sure to check with the Mountaineers’ coaching staff before returning to the court. She said coach Mike Carey gave her his blessing.

“I checked in with Coach Carey and asked him what he thought,” Harlee said. “This year has been extremely hard. I’ve had a lot of stuff going on personally, and I really need to play. I was very happy with his answer. He’s not holding me back, and he fully understands. That makes me even happier that I’m going there.”

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 4:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

A year from now, City’s LaShay Taft may be looking at just as much snow out her window, but she won’t be staying home from school. That will be just fine with her. She’d rather be playing basketball.

The senior guard with the longest-range jump shot around, signed with Syracuse in November. A Big East fan, she’s happy to be playing in the conference.

“When I went up there to visit I really liked it,” Taft said. “It was so nice up there. The apartment we were staying in was like brand new. The coaches were real cool and the players were. It’s also the Big East and I’m guaranteed playing time.”

That all sounded good in November, but now after all this snow ... No, seriously, she’s still happy with her choice no matter how much snow Syracuse gets.

Taft chose the Orange over James Madison, Providence and Georgetown (all of which can get a good bit of snow).

“I just really like the Big East, because it’s got a lot of competition,” said Taft, who follows IND graduate Chandrea Jones to Syracuse.

Big East schools have become increasingly popular with some of the area’s best players. Last spring, St. Frances’ Angel McCoughtry led Louisville to the national final. Among the local players currently in the conference: McDonogh’s Brittany Mallory (Notre Dame), St. Frances’ Mi-Khida Hankins (Providence); Seton Keough’s Asya Bussie (West Virginia) and Western’s Akeema Richards (West Virginia).

Taft said she was relieved to get the decision over with and especially to make the calls to the three coaches whose scholarship offers she turned down.

As for this week in the snow, except for getting out a while Tuesday, Taft has been stuck inside, relying on her phone, Facebook and homework to keep her busy. She doesn’t like the snow but knows she’ll likely see a lot more of it in Syracuse.

“That’s what a lot of people say. I’d better get ready for this kind of weather, but I guess they’re more used to it than we are. I hope they’re more prepared,” she said.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 5:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

AKRON

Jasmine Mushington, sophomore forward (Baltimore native, went to Archbishop Carroll) –

62-55 win over visiting Central Michigan on Thursday: 5-for-9 from the field, 0-for-1 from 3-point range, 10 points, two rebounds (one offensive), one assist, one block, one turnover, two fouls in 21 minutes

57-39 home victory over Northern Illinois on Saturday: 0-for-2 FG, one offensive rebound, three assists, one foul in 13 minutes

Continue reading "The Next Level - women's hoops roundup for Feb. 8" »

Posted by Steve Gould at 11:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

In the ongoing snow shuffle, the Baltimore County's girls and boys basketball championship games have been moved to Feb. 23 instead of Feb. 19. The JV finals will be Feb. 24.

That will allow teams to continue making up games until Feb. 19, which is now the final play date in Baltimore County.

Ron Belinko, coordinator of athletics for the Baltimore County public schools, said that as of today, most county teams should have just one game to make up if they have followed the policy of playing on the next available date. However, should more snow arrive Tuesday and Wednesday as predicted, and schools remain closed the rest of the week, that could put teams three games behind with only five days left to play.

The state playoff schedule for basketball has not changed. The draw is scheduled for Feb. 21 and regionals begin on Feb. 26 for girls and Feb. 27 for boys.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The Next Level is back, rounding up the performances of women's college basketball players from the Baltimore area for games played last Monday through Sunday.

Ball in:

Continue reading "The Next Level -- women's roundup for Feb. 1" »

Posted by Steve Gould at 10:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

We’re back with the women’s roundup.

Loyola’s Miriam McKenzie (Oakland Mills) averaged 18.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 36.3 minutes played over three games. Kandice Green (St. Frances) of Seton Hall scored 18.5 points per game over two contests. Towson’s Haliena Snowden (Seton Keough) recorded averages of 16 points, eight rebounds and 34 minutes played in two games. Kim Carr (Woodlawn) of Northeastern averaged 14.5 points and 39 minutes over two games. Rider’s Caitlin Bopp (Institute of Notre Dame) rounded out the top five performers with 8.3 points per game and 10 rebounds per game in three contests.

The rest of the roundup follows:

Continue reading "The Next Level -- women's roundup for Jan. 25" »

Posted by Steve Gould at 10:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Carver A&T does not have a reputation for being a strong girls basketball school, but the Wildcats could be on the verge of changing that with their best start in school history.

The Wildcats are 14-0 and if this keeps up, they could find themselves in the Baltimore County championship.

Second-year coach Valerie Handy doesn't want to think about that just yet. The Wildcats lead the county's Class 2A-1A division, but they have three weeks yet to play. Another tough game comes up Wednesday night when they meet Dundalk, also a strong contender in the division.

"I try not to go into that with them," Handy said, "because I want them to do it one game at a time. I don't want them to get too excited."

Twin seniors Lauren and Jennifer Elkin lead the Wildcats, with Lauren scoring 14.5 points per game and Jennifer, 7.8. Kimberleigh Rivers adds 6.9 points and 2.3 steals. Essence Fredrick and Janae Eadley round out the starting lineup.

It has taken Handy a while to get the players to believe that they are as good as they are.

"At first when I got here it was like, 'We're satisfied if we win three games or four,'" Handy said. "Carver is not known for girls basketball. I think the girls didn't know how to act, because this has never happened before."

Handy said after the 10th or 12th win, she talked to them in the locker room about taking on the attitude of a winner. As a player back home in Tennessee and at Lambert University, Handy had a never-quit attitude which she has brought to the Wildcats

"I asked them, 'Do you realize you're having a winning season? Then they beat a few teams like Pikesville, Owings Mills and Hereford that they had never beaten before. They're gaining more confidence every day."

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 5:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

At Wednesday night's North Carroll girls basketball game, Panthers coach John Brown was a little nervous about a couple of things.

First, senior Caitlin Bach looked a bit nervous herself, going after the Carroll County girls basketball career scoring record. Second, Brown worried that he was running up the score to get Bach the 28 points she needed for an impressive milestone he wanted her to reach before the home crowd.

Bach got the record (1,516 points) after scoring 29, and the Panthers won 60-16 over Brunswick. Brown walked the fine line as well as he could have. He let Bach go for the record, but he did everything else to keep the margin within reason. He played his bench a good bit and took Bach out the second she got the record. He even sat her for a while in the second quarter.

Believe me, I have seen running up the score and this was not it.

I have seen teams press for an entire game when an opponent just can't handle the ball. Wednesday night, Brown pressed for maybe three minutes. Brunswick took a good number of shots. They just wouldn't fall -- especially early. Although the first half was 36-3, the second half was 24-13.

There were no signs of annoyance from the Brunswick side, where the coaches knew about the potential record. And there was no heckling from the stands. No one accused Brown of running up the score. He just couldn't stop thinking about it.

Those who really do run up the score don't think about it and they certainly don't talk about it. They don't talk about sportsmanship either. They think only about winning, not about someone else's feelings.

Brown should rest assured that just by worrying about how the Railroaders would feel, he showed his very strong commitment to sportsmanship.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 2:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

The Dulaney girls basketball team will host a "Think Pink--Go Passionately Pink for the Cure" breast cancer awareness fundraiser at Friday night's games with Franklin. All proceeds from the games -- JV at 5:30 p.m. and varsity at 7 -- will be donated to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation.

Last season's event raised more than $2,400 for the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund. Kay Yow, the sister of University of Maryland athletic director Debbie Yow and the longtime women's basketball coach at North Carolina State, died last January after a long battle with breast cancer.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

The Next Level is back with the women’s roundup for games last Monday through Sunday. As explained in the post below this, I scrapped my plan to list just the top 10 performers each week in favor of including all players from the Baltimore area.

And away we go:

Continue reading "The Next Level -- women's roundup for Jan. 18" »

Posted by Steve Gould at 1:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

With the 2009-10 college football season in the books and basketball season beginning in earnest with conference play, it’s time to move The Next Level off the gridiron and onto the hardwood.

Here’s the deal: Today, I’ll present a list (compiled by me and my fellow assistant sports editor, the ever-helpful Matt Bracken of The Sun’s Recruiting Report) of all the NCAA Division I men’s and women’s basketball players from the Baltimore area, and give their season statistics so far. Each successive Monday, check back here to find lists of the previous week’s top 10 men’s performers and top 10 women’s performers. (Disclaimer: I’ll be choosing these lists myself, and the process won’t exactly be scientific, as I won’t have had a chance to actually see many of the players in action. Results will be based largely on statistical performance. However, if you feel I’ve left off a deserving player or have any other comments, please feel free to, well, comment on the entry.

That sums up pre-game warm-ups. Let’s tip off and get right into the players we’ll be following this season. As always, thanks for reading.

Continue reading "The Next Level takes the court" »

Posted by Steve Gould at 10:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

One night during the 2006-2007 basketball season, I remember covering a Fallston girls basketball game and talking with coach Vernon Brown about his players and how proud he was of how hard they were working to improve.

Brown and I talked about that in great detail during the 30 minutes or so that it took me to write my story after the game. We were the athletic director's office, and it was around 9 p.m. It already had been a long day, but Brown never rushed me -- he definitely should have -- and took real pleasure in just sitting and talking about Jess Harlee and his other players.

It's a bit of a tired phrase, but Brown took real pride in and cared about those kids he worked with. Brown loved to point out all the good things his players did, no matter how small, if it showed that they were learning their craft that much better.

He was a coach who really knew how to teach, and that's one reason his teams did so well so often. That was no accident.

I knew that he'd been battling cancer and felt truly saddened when hearing of his death from the disease earlier this month. The fact that the girls soccer team won their state championship last week and dedicated it to him was, to me, both sad and truly fitting.

Here's a bet that Coach Brown is smiling somewhere.

-- Jeff Seidel

Posted by Baltimore Sun sports at 7:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

From a news release:

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC) has been selected as the recipient of proceeds from the 10th Annual Paul Sherry Shootout Basketball Tournament to be played at The Bryn Mawr School on Saturday, December 12, 2009. The women’s varsity basketball team from Bryn Mawr will match up against Roland Park Country School at 1:00 P.M.; and Mt. de Sales Academy will play the varsity women of Pope John Paul the Great High School from Dumfries, Virginia at 3:00 P.M.

The Sherry Shootout Benefit Basketball Tournament honors the memory of Paul Sherry, a longtime leader within the Towson Recreational Council. Mrs. Jan Sherry, her three daughters and son have helped to carry forward Paul Sherry’s significant legacy through this tournament. The Sherry Shootout Benefit Basketball Tournament is sponsored by The Collaborative Group and other generous sponsors with all proceeds from the event being donated to the selected charity. The Sherry Shootout has raised nearly $75,000 for local charitable organizations.

Posted by baltimoresun.com at 3:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

The fall season is still in full swing for most athletes, but here's a look forward to one of the top annual basketball events: the Basketball Academy.

The lineup for the 14th Annual Basketball Academy at Morgan State Jan. 14 through Jan. 16 features some of the area's top boys and girls teams. Make your plans now.

Thursday, Jan. 14
Digital Harbor girls vs. Milford Mill, 3:30 p.m.
Mervo boys vs. Randallstown, 5 p.m.
City girls vs. Perry Hall, 6:30 p.m.
Dunbar boys vs. Woodlawn, 9:30 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 15
City girls vs. Milford Mill, 3:30 p.m.
Digital Harbor boys vs. KIMA (DC), 5 p.m.
Western girls vs. Riverdale Baptist, 6:30 p.m.
Lake Clifton boys vs. Ballou (DC), 8
City boys vs. Longwood (NY), 9:30 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 16
Woodlawn boys vs. Mervo, 10:30 a.m.
Perry Hall girls vs. Archbishop Spalding, noon
Randallstown boys vs. Digital Harbor, 1:30
Digital Harbor girls vs. Riverdale Baptist, 3
Douglass boys vs. KIMA, 4:30
Parkville boys vs. Dunbar, 6
City boys vs. Ballou, 7:30
Lake Clifton boys vs. Longwood, 9

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 11:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Boys basketball, Girls basketball
        

Digital Harbor's All-Metro point-forward Asia Logan has committed to play basketball for the University of Pittsburgh.

Logan, who led the Rams to their first state title last winter, averaged 19 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks in leading the team to its best record ever (24-3). In the state Class 1A championship game, she had 21 points, 13 rebounds and went 15-for-16 from the free-throw line in a 50-41 win over Surrattsville.

Her final four also included Virginia Tech, Maryland and Villanova, but she said she knew it would be Pitt as soon as she visited the campus.

"Just the energy was great and the atmosphere, I just fit in as soon as I walked in," Logan said. "The team was so cool. They're a little goofy and I really liked that."

Logan, who has an 85 average, plans to major in psychology and wants to work with teenagers.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 12:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

At the beginning of the high school sports season, you often hear about a new school opening and how its athletes are ready to start something big. It’s not often you think, in September, about the end of something big.

With the closing of Towson Catholic, however, it is the end of something big -- especially in basketball. At times throughout its 86-year history, Towson Catholic had girls and boys programs that ranked among the best in the country.

The girls were a national power in the 1980s and most recently ranked among Baltimore’s top teams between 2005 and 2007, with stellar guard Marah Strickland on the roster.

Michael Dukes, the Owls' most recent girls basketball coach, had hoped to boost his team back into the upper echelon of the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference before he heard the school would not open its doors this fall.

Dukes said he heard about the school’s closing at a basketball tournament this summer. He tried to keep the news from his daughter, Chelsea, the team’s top returning player, but she started getting text messages, so he had to tell her sooner than he would have liked.

Chelsea Dukes, a senior, has enrolled at Seton Keough, where she should contribute for the perennially competitive Gators.

Michael Dukes said other players have enrolled all around the area: Aiva Parhan, Chaun Crocket and Blair Harding at Poly, Taylor Carter at Mercy, Brittany Lanahan and McKenzie Reese at Lutheran, Courtney Stephens at Gerstell Academy, Lakia Huff at Fallston and Quay Malloy at St. Frances. Gerstell also picked up four of the Owls' incoming freshmen: Mykeria Lewis, Jalen Porter, Sierra Naylor and Jada Scarbough, while Alexis Harrison is at Digital Harbor.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

Fallston's Jess Harlee knew exactly what happened when she felt the pop in her left knee three weeks ago at a basketball tournament in Georgia.

She tore the anterior cruciate ligament -- a major stabilizing force in the knee and an injury that usually requires surgery and about six months of rehabilitation. Harlee will have surgery Friday.

That means she will miss at least some of her senior season -- a terrible blow for the Cougars, who went 28-0 last season and won their first state girls basketball championship in an improbable 65-62 victory over defending champion Paint Branch. A driven player known for diving for balls and sometimes crashing into the stands, Harlee scored 28 points -- 19 in the fourth quarter -- and hit two clutch free throws with 3.3 seconds remaining to lead the Cougars to the Class 3A title.

The injury, she said, apparently happened in two parts while she was playing with her Fairfax Stars Amateur Athletic Union team at the Nike Nationals. The pop came on the simplest of moves when she was off the ball.

“I actually jumped and tried to grab a steal and I twisted my knee, but I ended up going back in and playing that game. I hit a three-pointer with like 40 seconds left to go and that’s what won the game.

“I played in the next game and I was good the whole first half and in the first minute of the second half, I just took a step back and it popped. That’s when I was out. I thought it was [a torn ACL],” added Harlee, who was able to walk off the court although the knee hurt badly.

Three days later, a doctor confirmed her fears.

Harlee, who also played volleyball for the Cougars, has been helping out at volleyball practice this week, but she doesn’t relish the role of watching.

“I try to keep a positive outlook. That’s all I can do, but it’s going to be really hard to watch,” she said.

Harlee made an oral commitment to West Virginia last spring and the coaches were on hand watching her play when she got hurt. They told her, she said, that the injury would not affect her scholarship.

She does plan to get back on the court with the Cougars as soon as she can. She doesn’t want to sit out the whole year.

“I think West Virginia was hoping I would do that, but I really don’t want to. I played with one eye, so I don’t want to sit out when I know I could go back in,” said Harlee, who missed five games as a sophomore with a scratched retina.

Harlee plans to throw the same determination into her rehab that she throws into all of her games, including that state final, which few outside the No. 4 Cougars bench believed they could win.

Fallston coach Mike McTeague has most of the players back, but Harlee was certainly the centerpiece. The Cougars improved their schedule to include Archbishop Spalding and Roland Park with Harlee’s leadership in mind.

“Obviously -- and I hate to use the word kill -- but it’s going to kill us,” McTeague said. “She was leading scorer, leading rebounder, leading assist. She led in every category. She was the most talented player on the floor every time, every game. The kids looked to her and she had the leadership role.

“That being said, I think she made a huge contribution in the fact that the kids now see what can be done, they see how far they can go. There’s no replacing Jess, but last year, a couple people stepped up. We’re not going to be as good without her, but hopefully, she showed them something and they accomplished something with her that they can work on. I’m hoping she’ll be around and working with them.”

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 4:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Shatyra Hawkes, the 5-foot-3 dynamo who sparked St. Frances to the IAAM A Conference championship as a sophomore and led them to the runner-up spot last season as a junior, has made an oral commitment to play for Xavier.

Hawkes, who averaged 17 points and five assists last season for the No. 2 Panthers (26-3), said Xavier actively recruited her for a year and that she felt they wanted her on their roster more than any other team. She also liked their schedule.

“They play a lot more competition than the other schools I was looking at,” said Hawkes, who also considered Loyola, Towson, Radford, American and the New Jersey Institute of Technology. “I wanted to go somewhere competitive. I did see that they did good. They made the tournament and I thought it would be a good experience for me.”

Xavier, in Cincinnati, won the Atlantic-10 Conference regular-season title last season and earned a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Division I tournament. The Musketeers (25-7), however, fell in the first round to Gonzaga.

Hawkes, who is considering a career in nursing, played Amateur Athletic Union basketball over the summer with the Maryland Lady Comets. She said she worked a lot on her passing and wants to continue to improve her passing game with the Panthers this winter.

“Xavier said they would play me at the 1 and the 2 (point guard and shooting guard positions), so I’m focusing on my passing, because most games, I looked to score. This year, I’ll look to pass more and if they need me to I’ll get my points.”

Unlike most players, Hawkes said she does not feel that the pressure is off just because she made a commitment. It's just in her nature to meet every challenge head on.

“It’s like I’ve just got to work harder and not let up,” she said, “because it’s going to get harder from now on.”

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 12:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

When Arundel guard Talen Watson started looking at colleges, she looked well beyond just basketball. Planning to major in sports management and business with thoughts of becoming an ESPN anchor, Watson looked for the perfect blend of basketball and academics.

The 5-foot-7 All-Anne Arundel County guard found it at Massachusetts and has made an oral commitment to play for the Minutewomen of the Atlantic 10 Conference. Watson chose UMass over Seton Hall, Quinnipiac and Long Island.

“I just had a great time up there,” said Watson, of her official visit. “They showed me around campus and it was a blast. I had a lot of fun. What put it over the top was my major, sports management, is at that school and it’s No. 1 in the country. Whatever my major is, that’s what I needed to suit me, because I’m going to stay there for four years. I can’t play basketball forever.”

Watson had a breakout season last winter averaging 7.1 points and 3.9 assists as a point guard for the No. 7 Wildcats, who reached the state Class 4A semifinals.

During the summer, Watson played for Team Unique and she said she is looking forward to the high school season now that she has made her college decision.

“It feels great. The pressures is gone. I’m happy for me and my family. It’s right for everyone. I’m in a good situation,” Watson said.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 4:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

Two-time All-Metro forward Sheronne Vails, who helped the Arundel girls basketball team to two straight Class 4A final fours, has orally committed to play for Louisville.

Vails, 6 feet 5, averaged 11.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.8 blocks last season for the No. 7 Wildcats (22-5), who fell in the state semifinal after reaching the title game in 2007. Over the summer, she helped her Amateur Athletic Union team, the Fairfax Stars, reach the semifinals of the Nike Nationals.

Louisville coaches saw a lot of her this summer.

“I felt like they went after me the hardest,” Vails said. “They were at all of my AAU games that they could be. And I really enjoyed my official visit. I like the athletic program. They’re all one team. All the sports combine to one, and I like the atmosphere. I feel like I’m at home when I’m there.”

Vails opted for the Cardinals, who reached the national championship game for the first time last spring, over Duke, South Carolina and Wake Forest.

She said she communicated with former Louisville All-American Angel McCoughtry via the Internet and that McCoughtry, “told me it’s a good school.”

McCoughtry, an All-Metro forward at St. Frances before she played for the Cardinals and was the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft by the Atlanta Dream, played a small part in Vails’ decision. Vails had seen her play when she was younger while McCoughtry played AAU basketball with Vails’ sister LaTavia, who went on to play at Robert Morris.

“She did [play a small part in the decision], because I’ve seen how she developed her game and became a better player there,” Vails said.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls basketball