Springbrook Wins Second Consecutive Championship

Written by SteveMurfin on March 15th, 2009 at 12:38 am

It’s been 41 years since a Maryland Boys 4A school has won back-to-back basketball championships.  But the streak finally ended at Comcast Center on Saturday night as Springbrook won their 36th game in a row to capture their second consecutive Maryland State Championship with a 73-61 win over Henry A. Wise High School.

The win gives the undefeated Blue Devils, 27-0, the first consecutive State titles since Northwestern stopped Richard Montgomery from winning two in a row in 1967 and then captured the 1968 championship.   Springbrook is now 52-2 in the last two seasons.  They haven’t lost since 2/14/08 when Gaithersburg beat them 57-56.

The Blue Devils, not known for their free thrown shooting, connected on 30 of 37 attempts in the second half, including10 in a row in the fourth period, to pull away from the Prince George’s County school who was making their first appearance in the State Tournament.

Wise led by five at the end of the first period after connecting on two consecutive three-point shots to close the quarter, 12-7.  But from that point on, it was all Springbrook.

The Blue Devils scored 20 points in the second period to lead at the half 27-24. 

Wise stayed close, pulling to within one at 44-43 early in the final period.  But then Springbrook started to pull away with it’s great ball handling and accurate shooting from the line.

Springbrook Players after the Game

Jamal Olasewere was eight for nine from the floor, scoring 21 points, and grabbing 15 rebounds to lead both teams in both categories.  

But it was the ball handling of Chris Carter that proved to make the difference as Springbrook pulled away in the final period, building its lead to as much as 13.  Carter frequently brought the ball down court and patiently paced the Blue Devil offense finding Olasewere, Brandon Davis A(12 points) or Kwambina Coker (8 points on 4-5 shooting) down low or Jeremy Williams (17 points) on the wing. 

And if they didn’t make a shot, Wise usually sent them to the free-throw line.  Williams nailed 9 of 10 free throws and Davis made 10-14.  Carter was also hot from the charity stripe making 6 of 6.

Springbrook scored 32 points in the final period, outscoring Wise by nine points.

THE NUMBERS ON THE BLUE DEVILS

Springbrook is certainly the most dominant team in the State the last four years.  The numbers:

• 36 wins in a row
• 27-0
• 52-2 the last two seasons
• Haven’t lost since 2/14/08 to Gaithersburg 57-56
• Four State Championships:  1972, 1988, 2008, 2009
• 13 Region Titles
• 10 Division Titles
• 23 All Mets – you can probably add one more:  Jamal Olasewere this year

CONGRATS TO TOM CROWEL

Tom Crowel has a pretty good streak going for himself, too.  Since he took over at Springbrook, the Blue Devils have gone:  18-6, 19-4, 25-2 and 27-0.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY DOMINATES MARYLAND 4A

This is the fourth consecutive Maryland State 4A championship for Montgomery County.  Whitman captured the title in 2006 to start the current streak.  Sherwood defeated Magruder in 2007 and Springbrook won the last two.

The Blue Devils win also assured the Montgomery County wouldn’t get shut out this year.  Seneca Valley lost in the Semi-Finals to eventual 3A Champion Lake Clifton (also 27-0).   The County was shut out as Blake (4A) and Paint Branch (3A) lost their State Championship games.

Highlights of West Region Playoffs

Written by SteveMurfin on March 5th, 2009 at 9:47 am

Friday night’s Class 4A West Region basketball tournament first-round action featured a plethora of buzzer-beaters, and one noteworthy buzzer-nonbeater.

During the Richard Montgomery boys’ 62-56 win over Blair, every quarter ended with a bucket right before the final horn. Rockets senior Tre Washington did it in the first quarter, junior Nick Brown in the second. Junior T.J. Fitzgerald nailed a 3-pointer as the third period expired, and Blazers guard Trey Moses netted an inconsequential three to end the game.

But the best shot of them of all was the one that didn’t count. Mere milliseconds after the halftime horn sounded in Churchill’s 50-44 ouster of Whitman, Bulldogs forward Elijah Gore found all net on a 75-foot desperation heave. Officials immediately waved off the shot, however.

- Double-digit seeds were lucky in the first round, as 11 of the 17 Montgomery County games between two randomly drawn teams were won by the squad forced to travel.

The state’s ping pong balls got it especially wrong in the boys’ 3A West Region, where all three first-round games were won by the team picking a lower seed in the random draw: No. 9 Wheaton, No. 10 Frederick and No. 11 Kennedy.

- Thanks to 18-point performances on consecutive days from senior Katie Sheahin, the Good Counsel girls enter the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title game on a 17-game winning streak. The Falcons face county rival Holy Cross, who defeated Elizabeth Seton Sunday on a game-winning layup by senior Natasha Thames.

The final was originally slated for Monday, but because of inclement weather, it was rescheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday at American University.

- The Poolesville boys might be the hottest team in the county right now. With a 57-38 victory over Clear Spring on Friday, the Falcons had won nine of their last 10 games. Their one blemish was even impressive; they held 3A power Urbana to 40 points, 15 below the Hawks’ previous low output, in a three-point loss on Feb. 19.

- The Churchill girls picked the right time for their stingiest defensive effort of the season, holding Whitman to 18 points in a 32-point victory on Friday. The Bulldogs allowed just seven first-half points and held the Vikings scoreless in the second quarter.

“That was the best game I’ve ever seen us play,” said coach Aubree Lawrence.

- The Blair girls’ 64-48 defeat of Sherwood on Thursday set a milestone. No one on the active Blazers roster was in high school for their previous postseason win in 2005.

“This is the first time in a while that Blair has been in the situation where winning a playoff game was even a possibility,” coach Erin Conley said.

- Gaithersburg boys coach Kevin Parrish put discipline first, before his team’s 84-50 loss to Walter Johnson on Friday. Parrish benched five players who showed up for the game 10 minutes before tip.

“If we had had everything going for us, we would have had a tough time with them anyway,” Parrish said.

Quotable

“I know the price of admission goes up for the playoffs, but the people still got their money’s worth.”

Damascus boys coach Rick Riley, after a 50-49 loss to Frederick

Fabulous February = March Madness

Written by SteveMurfin on February 22nd, 2009 at 4:21 pm

The Regular Season is just about complete and the Regional Playoffs will begin on Friday night, February 27.  And VOLI Sports will be there all the way so you can follow your favorite Montgomery County team to the Regional and State Tournament.

BLAKE, PAINT BRANCH GIRLS FINISH SEASON WITH ANNUAL CLASH AT PB

In what has turned out to be one of the biggest rivals in high school basketball in Montgomery County High School basketball history, Blake girl’s team will square off with Paint Branch to finish the regular season at Paint Branch.

The Panthers are on a long-running streak as one of the best high school teams in the country and haven’t lost a regular season game since 2/13/2007.  The went 25-0 this year and are 19-0 this year.  Their did lose two games during a Holiday Tournament while playing some of the best private schools in the country.

The same stars that led the Panthers to their fourth State Championship last year, Khalilah Quiqley and Tarik Hislop have carried the Panthers on this incredible 44-game streak through Montgomery County and State competition.

Hoping to put an end to that streak, and hoping to get some revenge for the Panthers win on Friday night over Blake in the boys game (features as the Game of the Week this week on VOLi Sports) will be Danielle Douglas and her Bengal teammates. 

Blake started the year 2-6, but has won 13 in a row since then and has earned a #4 seed in the Regional playoffs.

BOYS REGIONAL SEEDINGS FEATURE RIVAL MATCHUPS IN FIRST ROUND

The Regional Tournament seedings were released on Sunday with some interesting matchups.  As if it was done on purpose, most first-round games will feature neighborhood rivals.  Even the top two seeds are Northeast Consortium Rivals.

In the 4A Boys, getting first round byes were Springbrook (#1 seed), Blake (#2), Quince Orchard (#3). 

First round games feature:  #8 WJ @ #9 Gaithersburg, #5 Wootton @ #12 Northwest, #4 RM @ #13 Blair, #6 Whitman @ #11 Churchill, #7 Sherwood @ #10 Magruder.  Springbrook will get the WJ-Gburg winner, QO will get the victor of the Whitman-Churchill game and Blake gets Sherwood-Magruder winner.

3A Boys:  Montgomery County byes to Seneca Valley (#1), Paint Branch (#2), and BCC (#4).  In game action, #9 Wheaton hosts #8 Watkins Mill and the winner plays Seneca.  #7 Damascus is at Frederick and that winner plays Paint Branch.  Tuscarora, who also has a bye at #5 already is scheduled to play BCC in the second round.  Kennedy hosts Einstein in the other 3A game featuring a MCPS team.

2A Boys:  Northwood (#5) plays Rockville (#4) in the second round and Clarksburg (#11) visits Middletown in the first round.

1A:  Poolesville (4) hosts Clear Spring in the first round.

GIRLS SEEDINGS

4A:  First round byes for Gaithersburg (#1), who gets the seed by virtue of their win over Wootton in January featured on VOLi, Wootton (#2), Northwest (#3).  First round games for Blake (#3) against WJ (#13), Sherwood (#5) vs. Blair (#12), Whitman (#6)@ Churchill (#11), Magruder (#7) and QO (#10).

3A:  Paint Branch is a surprising #2 behind undefeated Urbana (#1) who completed a 20-0 campaign.  The Panthers (19-0 in State competiton) played their 20th game vs. Blake this past Monday after the seedings were drawn.   BCC (#3) Seneca Valley (#4) round out the first round byes in the 3A.  Seneca Valley is slated to play Frederick in the second round.  Paint Branch gets the Wheaton-Einstein winner, and the Watkins Mill – Kennedy winner plays at Urbanna.

VOLI BROADCAST OF ROUND ONE ANNOUNCED LATER THIS WEEK

Watch this site later in the week for an announcement of the VOLI Game of the Week to be shown on MCPS and Verizon Fios 1 next week.

VOLI TO BE AT BOYS AND GIRLS 4A REGIONAL FINAL

VOLI will broadcast the 4A Boys and Girls Regional Final from Blair the week of March 9th

VOLI WILL BE AT COMCAST CENTER

VOLI will cover MCPS Boys teams from Comcast as long as the County has a team in the State Tournament.  Montgomery County has won the last two 4A State Championships with Sherwood (2007) and Springbrook (2008) claiming the honors.

Final Month – Clutch Performances

Written by SteveMurfin on February 10th, 2009 at 11:02 am

Blake sophomore Brandon Hedley has become one of the county’s top sixth men, not to mention one of its most clutch performers, starter or reserve.

In a 53-49 win over Sherwood on Friday, the 5-foot-9 guard came off the pine to knock in three critical 3-pointers. More impressively, two nights earlier, he pulled up from several feet behind the arc to hit a game-winning jumper in the Bengals’ 51-48 ouster of Magruder.

- A pair of Kennedy seniors produced monster weeks to begin February. Guard George Fountain hit 14 3-pointers in three games, including seven in an overtime win over Wheaton and five in a 28-point outing at Einstein on Friday.

Just as impressively, power forward Logan Ware pulled down an incredible 25 rebounds against the Knights.

- While junior Georgetown University commit Markel Starks grabs most of the headlines, guard Robert Olson was just as responsible for Georgetown Prep’s two enormous Interstate Athletic Conference victories last week. The 6-foot-4 Loyola College commit scored a game-high 18 points in the Little Hoyas’ 69-53 victory over arch-rival Landon Feb. 2, giving them sole possession of first place.

While Starks — who sustained a knee injury midway through the win over the Bears — missed his second straight contest, Olson scored 32 points in a 12-point triumph over Episcopal on Friday.

- Springbrook High School (17-0) is now just five victories from the county’s first undefeated regular season since 2005-06.

“I got some blood on my jersey from a cut on my finger. But [Steve Everett] cut his elbow the other day and had to put on this jersey and he played real well that night. It’s something about this number I guess.”

Quince Orchard’s Mac Kennedy on wearing No. 50 during his 22-point performance in the Cougars’ 49-47 victory over Churchill on Wednesday

Battle of the Unbeatens May replay in 09

Written by SteveMurfin on January 23rd, 2009 at 11:44 pm

Battle of the Unbeatens May replay several times in 2009

If you see Blake and Springbrook over and over again on VOLi’s Game of the Week, you won’t have to adjust your dial.  What you are watching isn’t a rebroadcast of these two rivals first game of the season.

VOLi’s first Montgomery County boys basketball game of the week was a classic matchup of two unbeaten rivals – Northeast Consortium rivals from Silver Spring – Blake hosting Springbrook.  Both teams were unbeaten in 10 games going into the match on January 9th and they played a classic game for the ages that was replayed this past week on the MCPS channels.

Springbrook came out on top 61-55 as Jamal Olasewere scored 25 points and had 14 rebounds before fouling out with 1:27 to play.

Olasewere set the tone early with a thundering block of Blake’s first shot of the game and he paced the Blue Devils to a two-digit lead through they maintanted into the second half.  But Blake wouldn’t go away.

After Olasewere  fouled out, things got dicey for Springbrook.  Blake cut the lead to 59-55 and had the ball in their hands at one point with a chance to pull closer, but couldn’t get off another shot. 

Still, the Bengals were all smiles immediately afte the game because they gave Springbrook a run for their money.

And they also will meet again on January 30 as Springbrook.  And maybe again in the Region’s last game of the season.

“We know we’ll see these guys again in the [Class 4A West] regional final,” said Blue Devil forward Jamal Olasewere, after scoring 25 points in the ouster of the Bengals.
Springbrook, averaging 21-point victories this year, played their tightest game of the season.  Also, the Blue Devils started five seniors while the Bengals started two sophomores, two juniors and one senior.

With its victory Springbrook has now won 20 consecutive games. The Blue Devils’ only blemish in the last 13 months, which have included 30 wins, was a one-point loss to Gaithersburg on Valentine’s Day, 2008.

Blake-Springbrook Girls Play Four Games in One

The second game of the VOLi doubleheader featured the Blake and Springbrook girls teams with the Bengals pulling out a 58-45 victory that was was closer than the score indicated.

The two teams each played two seperate strong quarters.  Springbrook dominated the first quarter, but only scored eight points in the second quarter as the Bengals pulled ahead at halftime 30-23.  The Blue Devils had 18 turnovers in the first half including five straight traveling violations in the second quarter as they had trouble beating the Blake press.

Sprinbrook came out as hot as Blake was cold after halftime.  The Blue Devils scored the first nine points of the third quarter and led 32-30 before Blake settled down and started to pull away in the final stanza.

Danielle Douglass, fresh off a 29 point performanc against Blair, tallied 23 points for Blake a they implored more turnovers from the Blue Devils in the final quarter with their pressing half-court defense.

“We wish Coach would let us press all the time,” said Justine Allen who added 11 points including a big three-pointer that applied a dagger to the Devils.

Blake has now won five in a row and is 7-6 after Gabi Hall scored 22 points and led the Bengals to a 72-33 win over Magruder.

Blair at Richard Montgomery is VOLi’s Game of the Week

While Springbrook and Blake top the Montgomery 4A East Standings, not far behind is a very good RM team at 7-2 overall, 2-2 overall.

RM will host Blair (4-7, 1-3) as VOLi visits the new gymnasium in Rockville for the first time.

RM is coming off a 57-42 loss to Springbrook in a game in which they held Olasewere to eight points, but trailed 26-13 at halftime.  Still, RM is solid with a very tall lineup and gave Blake fits for three quarters earlier this season before the Bengals pulled away in the final period.

Blair is just behind RM in the 4A East standings.

Richard Montgomery rebounded from its first in-county loss with a 33-31 squeaker over 4A East Division rival Magruder Wednesday. The 64 total points scored were the second-lowest combined total in any game featuring a Montgomery County team this season.

“I’m sure it wasn’t fun to watch,” said Richard Montgomery head coach Scott Spear. “We shot 12 of 51 from the field. Really, we shot 12 of 51.”

RM and Blair’s girls teams, also just behind Blake and Springbrook in the 4A East standings will make up the second game of the VOLi doubleheader.

Upcoming VOLi Games

Next Friday, VOLi will cover either Whitman at QO or Wootton at Gaithersburg based on standings and fan interest.

Tribute to Al Thomas

While this column is about Montgomery County basketball, I couldn’t let this blog go without my own personal tribute to Al Thomas, the great football coach who announced his retirement from coaching this week.

I first covered Thomas in his early years at Seneca Valley when I was a reporter for the Washington Post and he was starting his coaching career.

I had the pleasure of watching is 1975 Screaming Eagles allow only six points the whole season enroute to a State Championship.  The only points that team allowed all season was by the offense when Gaithersburg returned an interception for a touchdown.

Thomas’ teams were always well disciplined and well schooled in fundamentals.  His teams rarely made mistakes and never beat themselves.

On the rare occassion his teams lost, their opponents always had to play four full quarters hard to win the game.

This past year’s Sherwood team was a tribute to all that Thomas stands for – preparing young men to win and approaching every game expecting to win. 

Congratulations, Coach Thomas, on an outstanding career on the field and thank you for all the great stories and quotes off the field.

From the Desk of Steve Murfin

Written by VOLi Sports on January 23rd, 2009 at 3:45 pm

Montgomery County Girls Basketball holding court with area’s top teams

If basketball fans scan the Montgomery County Girls basketball team records, you would see the normal teams at the top of their divisions.  But what stands out as the season approaches it’s halfway point of the year is the number of teams with nine or more wins and how tight the league races are shaping up.

VOLi to cover Wootton-Gaithersburg Girls rematch

The 4A West Region is the tightest with four teams with at least 9 wins and all within 3 games of each other.

VOLi Sports will be at Gaithersburg when the Trojans host the Wootton Patriots in what promises to be the biggest Girls game of the year thus far in the season.

Topping the standings, Wootton is 11-1 overall and 6-0 in the league.  Coach Maggie Dyer has her Patriots team playing solid basketball.  Senior Chelsea Craig, a four-year starter, is having a fine season, but she is joined by two sophomores, Gabby Flinchum and Jessica Welch who making major contributions.

Craig is averaging 9.7 points per game and leads the team with 13.3 rebounds.  Flinchum leads the team with 11.8 points per game and Welch is just being Craig at 9.2 points per game.

Right behind them is Gaithersburg (9-1, 5-1).    The Trojans lone loss this year was 48-46 to Wootton in mid-December.

The game will be replayed on Tuesday, January 27, Thursday, January 29 and Saturday, January 31.

Trailing Wootton and Gaithersburg in the 4A West standings is Northwest (9-3, 4-2), led by the County’s second leading scorer, Devon Green (19.3 ppg) and Churchill (9-4, 3-3) (Alex Vasilla with 29 points in a 63-57 loss to Wootton last week).

Gaithersburg-Wootton Boys included in VOLi Doubleheader

The nightcap of the doubleheader will feature the Gaithersburg and Wootton Boys teams.  This, too, is a big rematch as Wootton won 48-44 at home earlier in the season.

Blake Girls starting to pull away

Blake is starting to separate itself from the rest of the 4A East division.  The Bengals (7-6, 5-0) have rattled off five consecutive wins by an average of 27 points and all with double-digit margins.  Gabby Hall had a career high 22 points in a victory over Magruder.

The Bengals travel to RM this weed to take on the Rockets who trail Blake in second place with a 3-2 league record, 6-4 overall.

Girls 3A has two 10-win teams

Paint Branch and B-CC are battling for supremacy in the 3A East with 10-win seasons and Seneca Valley tops the 3A West also with a 10-win record.

The Panthers lead B-CC by one game in the standings as both teams eye their match-up on January 27 at B-CC.  The Panthers are 10-2 overall and 5-0 in teh league.  B-CC is right on their heals at 10-2 and 4-1.

The game will feature the areas #1 and #3 scorer in the Panther’s Tarik Hislop (22.3) going up against the Baron’s Bria White (18.1).

In the 3A East, Seneca Valley has a little more breathing room than Paint Branch.  The Eagles are 10-2 overall and their 5-0 league record gives them a two-game lead over Clarksburg (8-4, 3-2).  Kelsey Wolfe leads the Eagles with 17.4 points per game.  She tallied 25 in a 59-57 win over the Coyotes last week.

Transfers making an impact in Boys Basketball

This week the Gazette features a story on County basketball stars who are in their first year at their schools.

Four of the top ten scorers in the County are new to their school.

Seneca Valley’s Jon Velez and Jordan Goodman are averaging 17.4 and 17 points respectfully for teh Eagles and have paced them to a 10-2 record and commanding lead in the 3A West standings. Seneca is 5-0 in the league.

B-CC got a gift when Gerome Seagears transferred in from Northwood.  The 6-foot point guard led the team in scoring his first two years and continued his ways with the Barons this season averaging 17.8 point per game.

The one team that didn’t need any help from a transfer is probably getting the biggest contribution.  Springbrook’s Zaid Hearst tranferred from B-CC to the defending state champions and is making a huge impact.  Hearst is averaging 9 points per game, but had 21 in a game vs Blair and a team-high 15 in a win over Richard Montgomery.

Boy’s League standings still tight

Sprinbrook’s 61-55 victory over Blake on January 9 is still what separates the two teams in the 4A East.  The Blue Devils are 12-0 and 5-0 in the league.  The Bengals, who walked off the court after that loss knowing they can contend with the Blue Devils are 11-2 and 4-1.  The two teams meet again on January 30.

The 4A West is a two-team affair with Quince Orchard (9-3, 5-0) and Churchill (9-4, 4-2) battling it out.   Churchill bested QO 58-56 in the first meeting.  The teams square off again on February 4.

Like the Girls, Paint Branch and B-CC are battling it out for the top spot in the 3A East Division.  Paint Branch is 10-2 overall and 5-0 in the league.  B-CC is right behind with a 9-3 record and 4-1 in the league.

And also, like their Girl counterparts, Seneca Valley is running away with the 3A West with a 10-2 and 5-0 mark, comfortably ahead of Poolesville (6-5, 4-1).

MCPS Basketball Season on VOLiSports

Written by SteveMurfin on January 7th, 2009 at 1:11 pm

It’s cold outside, but the 2009 Montgomery County Public Schools basketball season is heating up as the new year starts.

VOLi Sports announces its basketball broadcast schedule which will feature defending Maryland State Champions Springbrook boys (4A) and Paint Branch girls (3A) along with their division challengers as the games of the week throughout the next two months.   The schedule will include the Regional Championships as well as Regional playoffs and State semi-final matchups.  And, if Springbrook, Paint Branch, or any of their challengers can prevail, a State Champonship game for a MCPS school at Comcast Center.

The chances of a MCPS being represented in the State Final is a good one.  MCPS has captured the last two 4A boy’s crowns  with Sherwood beating Magruder in 2007 and Springbrook capturing the 2008 title.  The B-CC boys team was a 3A finalist in 2007 as well.  Paint Branch captured the 3A girls title last year and was a semi-finalist the year before.  Blake played in the 4A girls final in 2007 and was a State semi-finalis in 2008. 

2008 VOLi Schedule Kicks Off with Two Two Undefeated Rivals

The VOLi Sports basketball season broadcast kicks off this week with a game that has all the makings of a Regional Final for both the boys and girls. 

Springbrook and Blake boys teams have played classic games in the past, but this Friday night, the two schools may play their biggest regular season game in their 10-year history.   Both teams are undfeated with 9-0 records.   The players on both teams have met many times from youth leagues to summer leagues. 

And both teams know what a victory will mean to each.  For Springbrook, a win over a quality team solidifies their status as a top team in MCPS and the state.  For Blake, it validates that their record is no fluke.  When the season started, Blake coach Marcus Wiggins was stressing over who on his team would step up to be a leader.  A double overtime win over a good Walter Johnson team and a 16-point/ 4th quarter come-from-behind win over Churchill may have said a lot about his team.  But a win over Springbrook will say a lot about what will happen in the MCPS 4A.

You can count on the girls’ matchup to always be a quality game when Blake and Springbrook square off.  Two-time Region champion Blake is missing injured Christine Weithman due to an off-season knee injury, but is playing well after a rough start to the season.  Springbrook always plays Blake tough.  The two schools met in the 2007 Regional Final when Blake advanced to their first Girl’s State Tournament.

VOLi Boys and Girls Basketball Broadcast Schedule

Final game selection to be determined based on standings, matchups and voting by the VOLi audience.

Week 1:  Springbrook @ Blake

Week 2:  Blair @ Richard Montgomery or Paint Branch @ Samascus

Week 3:  Whitman @ QO or Wooton @ Gaitherburg

Week 4:  Whitman @ Wootton or Walter Johnson @ Churchill

Week 5:  Seneca Valley @ Rockville

Remaining schedule to be determined based on standings and matchups.

2008-2009 Season Highlights

Boys 4A East:  Springbrook and Blake to battle it out.  Both teams undefeated. Springbrook defending State Champ and should make serious bid for back-to-back titles

Boys 4A West:  QO, Churchill and WJ at top of standings and expected to battle for top spot. 

Boys 3A/2A/1A East:  Paint Branch and Churchill battling for top spot. 

Boys 3A/2A/1A West:  Seneca Valley odds on favorite with a good shot at the 3A State title.    Transfers Jordan Goodman and Jonathon Velez Rivera turn Eagles into a powerhouse.

Girls 4A East:  Blake the favorite, but could have trouble with junior Christine Weithman out till early February.  RM, Blair to challenge.

Girls 4A West:  Tremendous competition.  Wootton has the twin towers of Chelsea Craig and Gabby Finchem but Gaithersurg, Northwest, QO and Churchill will all challenge for the title.  Northwest’s Devon Green one of the best players in the County.  Wootton lost to River Hill, 67-65, in the Sherwood holiday Tournament.  Gaithersburg lost by 2 to Wootton earlier this year as the only blemish on it’s record.

Girls 3A/2A/1A East:  Defending 3A State Champion has won 41 staright games against MCPS competition and has County’s best player in Tarik Hislop.

Girls 3A/2A/1A West:  This is a scramble between Seneca Valley, Clarksburg, Damascus and Rockville.  Seneca Valley defeated previously unbeaten Northwest 60-57 in the Sugarloaf Shootout at Poolesville over the break.