Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Greg Whittington (21 points), James Peters (17), Nick Zayatz (10), and Joe Kiely (7) helped the Scorpions rally back after blowing a 17-point lead. With the 62-55 win, Oakland Mills improved to 19-0.
North Carolina versus Duke. Ravens versus Steelers. Oakland Mills versus Centennial. Sports thrive on great rivalries – games between teams that bring out the best in each other. Be it out of respect, hatred or the shear will to win, rivals always manage to play their best when facing one another, a point that Centennial and Oakland Mills prove time and time again. The Scorpions had narrowly escaped Centennial High School earlier this season with a 61-58 victory. In that game, Oakland Mills was down by eight points entering the fourth quarter before mounting a furious comeback behind the stellar play of junior forward Kerry Bethea, who scored 13 of his team-high 18 points in that game’s final eight minutes. The Scorpions are now without …
Saturday, December 18, 2010
The Scorpions scored 27 points in the fourth quarter to beat a Centennial High School team that had dominated the game up until that point.
An injury to a team's top player can bring his team much difficulty—or it can open up opportunity. On Friday, with Oakland Mills' senior sensation Greg Whittington hampered by an injured thumb, junior forward Kerry Bethea stepped up. Bethea brought the undefeated Scorpions back from the brink of suffering their first loss, scoring 13 of his team-high 18 points in the fourth quarter to lift Oakland Mills past the Centennial Eagles, 61-58. Whittington's thumb injury came early, when he was fouled hard on a fast break as he tried to go up for an easy dunk. Though Whittington returned to the game and finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, six steals and three blocks, he was clearly affected by the injury. "He hurt himself pretty good," …
Saturday, December 11, 2010
The game came down to a final second shot by the unlikeliest of heroes, Wilde Lake senior Matt Holdefer, as the Wildecats won a thriller, 55-53.
The Wilde Lake Wildecats entered the 2010-11 basketball season at a disadvantage because of the success of their Class 3A state championship football team. Many of the Wildecats players play both football and basketball. And Wilde Lake's state championship run did not end until Dec. 2—giving head basketball coach Dave Appleby just four days to get his team ready for their first game of the season. "We have had four practices with these kids," Appleby said. "I got them on Friday." So it is understandable that the Wildecats will struggle at times. They are a team still trying to find themselves. They have the talent. All Wilde Lake needs is the time to learn how to play as a team. So the expectations for the Wildecats are not high—at least…
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
In front of a home crowd on Nov 2., the River Hill Hawks completed the first step in their quest to capture the state championship. The team faces Atholton this Friday in a regional semi-final game.
Coach Matt Shagogue gathered his River Hill team together before they took the field to play the Centennial Eagles in a region 3A East quarterfinal game. Eleven days earlier, in the last game of the regular season, River Hill had lost to Marriotts Ridge, 2-1, and given Wilde Lake sole possession of the county title as a result. The Hawks had finished the regular season with a 9-1-1 county record that included six shutout wins. Now, as Shagogue prepared to speak to his team, none of that mattered. It was playoff time. Win and you advance to play another game. Lose and your season is over. It was that simple. "The second season starts today," said Shagogue to his team. "Yesterday was not our last practice. Today is not our last game. Go …
