PBA JV and Varsity Boys Travel to Walkersville on Wednesday. All PBA JV and Varsity teams play on Saturday in a "Quadruple-header" at PHS Against Boonsboro (Girls) and Mt. Airy (Boys). First game tips off at 3:00 PM. JV and Varsity Boys Return Home for Rematch Against Catoctin on Sunday while JV and Varsity Girls Travel to Springfield. Both Rising Star teams play on Sunday. Go to "League Info" to get all of the game time/location information.

Poolesville High School Varsity Girls and Boys return home on Wednesday (1/27) against Damascus. PHS Varsity teams travel to Quince Orchard on Friday night. Go to the PHS Athletics Web Site to Get All Game Info at  http://www.poolesvilleathletics.org/.

 

 Game Summaries 1/22-24 

PBA Varsity Boys Re-Find Groove Against Catoctin, MSD
PBA JV, Varsity Girls Do Splits Against Catoctin

The PBA Varsity Boys controlled the tip for a lay-up and never looked back in defeating MSD on Sunday by a final score of 43-16. Poolesville combined for 12 assists with Andy Baker leading the way with six while Connor Hall and Diesen Gorham also tallied two assists each. Everyone contributed to this victory as all nine players scored. Baker finished with 10, Trevor Stottlemyer had eight, Gorham hit for seven, Robbie Metz scored six, Mitchell Poe had four, and Hunter Pearre hit for three. Kyle Brown, Connor Hall, and Chris Thompson also scored in the win. Brown was Poolesville's leading rebounder. He controlled the boards and finished with nine rebounds.

Against Catoctin on Saturday night, the PBA Varsity Boys had their transition game going early and finished with 17 points in the first quarter. The rest of the game was played at a similar pace and the Falcons rolled over the Cougars by a final score of 63-39. "We controlled the tempo of the game the entire time," said Coach John Weber. "The steal to turnover ratio was about 1 to 1 and we need to do a better job at that but overall this was one of the better games we've played this year. We ended the game with 10 team assists with Andy Baker leading the team with the majority of the assists happening in transition. We played better on defense than we've played recently by allowing only 2 points in the 1st quarter. The boys put strong pressure on the ball and anticipated well and the combination resulted in steals and transition." Robbie Metz and Hunter Pearre lead the team with 13 points each, followed by Mitchell Poe with 11, Trevor Stottlemyer and Andy Baker with nine each, Diesen Gorham with four, and Chris Thompson and Kyle Brown with a bucket each. Poolesville went 8 for 10 from the free throw line and hit their first eight from the charity stripe, including Pearre going four-for-four. "It was nice to see us start and finish the game strong," said Weber.

Scoring early and often and utilizing a smothering full court pressure against MSD on Sunday, the PBA JV Boys found themselves leading at halftime by a comfortable margin of 28-10. Those 28 points would prove to be all they would need as the Falcons would go on to defeat the Orioles by a final score of 49-25. After the game Coach Morningstar was heard saying how happy he was that everybody stepped up and contributed in the win. Leading scorers for the Falcons were Joey Cartwright and Steven Morningstar with nine points each followed by Zach Long with eight points, Ryan Shorts with seven points, Logan Rocco with five points, Brandon Bush with four points, Eric Lee with three points and Reid Patton and Bobby Pike with two points each.

The PBA JV Boys lost a heartbreaker to Catoctin on Saturday night in overtime by a final score of 61-54. Poolesville led for most of the game, but in the second half Catoctin went "en fuego" from behind the three-point arc---the Cougars nailed seven three-pointers in the second half. Even after the three-point barrage started to cool, the Falcons still clung to a two-point lead with time running down. With less then a minute to go, Poolesville turned over the ball giving the red-hot Catoctin offense a chance for the win. The Cougars scored with 11 seconds left to put the game into overtime. The Falcons, who had found themselves in foul trouble early in the game, could not keep up with Catoctin in the extra period and went on to lose by seven. Poolesville's Zach Long did all he could to help the Falcons bring home the win---he finished with 24 points. Steven Morningstar hit for 15 points, Reid Patton scored six points, Joey Cartwright finished with five points and Logan Rocco chipped in four points.

The PBA JV Girls defeated Catoctin, 27-15, in Thurmont on Friday evening. Poolesville led 17-7 at halftime and never looked back. "Allyson Convers played a great game tonight," according to Coach Steve Morgan. "Allyson always plays great defense, but tonight she had a lot of great passes and she led our team in rebounding. She demonstrated that you don't have to be tall to rebound well if you get good positioning, are quick to the ball, anticipate well, and hustle. Nancy Morgan also did a really good job. She drew a charge, set a lot of great picks, and kept diving on the floor to force jump balls." Anna Murgia just missed a double-double as she led the team with 13 points and had nine rebounds. Murgia also had four steals. Anna DeSoto had six points, including making both of her free throw attempts, eight rebounds, and two blocks. Mollie Bodmer had four points and eleven rebounds. Taylor Thomas had four points and five rebounds. Breanne Hall had five rebounds and three steals. Convers, along with her team-leading 12 rebounds, also had four steals.

In a cross-division match-up, Catoctin's Varsity Girls defended its home court by defeating the PBA Varsity Girls by a final score of 35-30. Both teams started slow, as Poolesville controlled the pace of the game in the first quarter with its deliberate ball control offense, preventing the Cougars from getting into any kind of running game. The first quarter ended with a 4 to 3 score in favor of Poolesville. Catoctin was able to pick up the pace in the second quarter and opened up a six point half-time lead. Coming out in the second half, Poolesville mounted a nice comeback that got its start with two-steals-turned-into-lay-ups by Whitney Carmack right off the bat. Rebekah Dill also did a nice job at center in Poolesville's 2-1-2 offense. She fed Denise Larson for two easy buckets. The result was a 23-20 Poolesville lead at the end of the third period. The fourth quarter saw both teams trading leads with the game up for grabs. Catoctin hit some clutch shots in the end to take the win. "Denise had a great second half. Her defensive rebounding kept us in the game," said Coach Laura Carmack. "Rosie Barry continued to drive the ball and get fouled. Mackenzie Fields helped us on our offensive rebounding and had a few put-backs. I thought Sarah Kenneweg and Julia Potts did a great job running the offense. Jessie Maloney almost hit a last second shot to end the half but came up short. Rebekah Chittenden played tough defense on the 3-2 and she forced a key turnover for us." Poolesville was led in scoring by Barry with 11 points, including an amazing 9-for-10 from the free throw line. Carmack scored seven points for the Falcons and Larson added six points in the losing effort.

Rising Star Hornets Sting Falcons

TASS - Germantown Community Center - 1/24/10

You buy the boat. You buy the tackle. You buy the reels, rods, and bait. One of you is in front driving, the other is pouring out chum in the back. What do you get for all of your work? A tall tale about the one that got away. So goes the next installment of the PBA Rising Star Boys. After jumping out to a seven point lead early in the game, the young Falcons couldn't maintain their lead or the game and fell to the Damascus Hornets 36-32. "We played good enough just to lose this game", said Coach Marshall Micheals as he eyed the photographers looking for a picture of the big catch. "Our main problems are getting back on defense to prevent the easy buckets and sticking with our man on defense. I didn't think that their press bothered us at all, as a matter of fact, I think that we were able to put some pressure on them to cause some turnovers." Woulda, shoulda, coulda, don't count in the scorebook, but points by Joe Soltis (13), Jake Armstrong (six), Justin Souder (four), Reid Patton (three), and Tim McIntyre, Andrew Bacas, and Blake Hinkson (two points each) certainly do.

After giving up the first two points of the game, the Falcon defense played a little better and jumped to an 11-4 lead. From there, foul trouble and a running Damascus team moved the halftime score to 19-14. Late in the fourth quarter, Poolesville, down by four points, was able to storm back and tie the game. But it wasn't enough as Damascus was able to salt away the victory with two late foul shots. "I think that we will beat that team when we play them again", said the soft spoken assistant, Marty Micheals. "The foul trouble in the beginning messed a bit with our substitution patterns and we really need to play more aggressively. The usual crowd of Blake Hinton, Dylan Landis, and Ryan D'Amelio gave us solid play, while Jackson Purdy offered some defensive spark."

The next game starts the second cycle through league play so fans with the red passes, red passes only please, have the priority seating. Next up, St. Bernadettes.

Rising Star Girls Defeat Clarksburg in Front of "Home" Crowd

With the gym a rocking from the Rising Star Boys in attendance to cheer on the Lady Falcons, the PBA Rising Star Girls did not disappoint as they defeated Clarksburg by a final score of 32-12. Opening the game with a full court press, Poolesville jumped to a quick 8-0 lead. With Poolesville showing different defenses, the Coyotes were kept out of sync all night. "Our shooting of 33% on the night was a great improvement," said Poolesville Coach Chris Hall. "It's not where I want them to be at this point in the season, however, it is something to build on. I'm more than delighted to see everyone scoring tonight. We asked them before the game to always look for the shot first, pass second." Said Hall after the game. Mollie Bodmer led the Falcons with eight points followed by Jami D'Amelio and Jessie Martinez with six each. Breanne Hall, Lauren Lightcap, Morgan Mullet, Allie Nevius, Jolee Raines and Erin Sparrow each added a bucket.

The RS Girls opened their double-header weekend with a 12-5 loss to Bethesda. Yes folks, that score is not a typo. A total of 13 shots were taken all night for the Falcons. Mollie Bodmer and Jami D'Amelio led Poolesville with just two points each. Morgan Mullet hit a foul shot to add the final point for the Falcons. After the game, Coach Hall was quoted saying, "We used all our time-outs to try and fire-up these girls and asked them to shoot. Nothing seemed to work. Even the parents were encouraging offense---OK--they were yelling 'Shoot The Ball!!!' from the bleachers but nothing seemed to work. There were positives coming from this game, including the fact that we held the other team to only 12 points."

 

 Game Summaries 1/18 

PBA JV Boys, Girls Take Thrillers!
Varsity Boys Suffer First Loss of Season

PBA Varsity Boy Craig Morton drives past a Linganore defender. PBA Varsity Girl Denise Larson Shows off her "ups" Against a taller Monocacy defender. Photos by Tom Amiot. For reprints, contact Tom at jcphotoclub@aol.com.

PBA JV Boy Zach Long goes airborne against Linganore. PBA Rising Star Justin Souder eludes a Bulldog en route to the bucket. PBA JV Girl shoots over a Monocacy defender in the Falcons win on Sunday. Photos by Tom Amiot. For reprints, contact Tom at jcphotoclub@aol.com.

 

The PBA JV Girls won an overtime thriller against Monocacy, 37-33, on Monday, getting the PBA quadruple-header off to a tremendous start. Kristen Darragh hit a 3-pointer late in regulation to send the game into overtime and then Poolesville outscored Monocacy 5-1 in the extra period. "Anybody who didn't enjoy watching that game just doesn't like basketball. What an exciting game to be a part of," said Coach Steve Morgan. Poolesville opened the game with an 8-2 lead, but lost the lead quickly as Monocacy led 12-10 at the end of the first quarter. Monocacy led 22-18 at halftime, and 28-21 at the end of the third quarter, before Poolesville started their comeback. "Our girls thrive under pressure," according to Morgan. "Kristen's 3 was very clutch. Anna Murgia drew a charge late in overtime when we had a two point lead and Monocacy was driving for a lay-up. Rather than go for the steal, Anna made the gutsy (and correct) decision to establish great defensive position and draw the charge. In the last 30 seconds of the game, while holding on to a two point lead, Jessie Martinez got open down low. When she was passed the ball, she caught the ball cleanly and calmly sank the shot. Nerves of steel." Darragh led the team with 14 points. Mollie Bodmer scored 8 points on 4-for-6 shooting from the field, and also grabbed 5 rebounds and 4 steals. Murgia scored 7 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, had 3 assists and collected 3 steals. Martinez had 4 points. Anna DeSoto scored 2 points , led the team with 9 rebounds and blocked 2 shots. Karyn Comfort scored 2 points and led the team with 3 blocked shots.

The PBA JV Boys stormed back from 10 points down in the fourth quarter to beat Linganore's JV Boys by a final score of 49-48. In a see-saw battle, Poolesville built an early lead behind the scoring of Steven Morningstar (11 points for the game). Logan Rocco (eight points), Chris Pike (two points), Brandon Lee (two points) and Brandon Bush (two key rebounds) doing the dirty work on the boards. The Falcons held their advantage until the opening tap in the second half. Linganore turned in around by blowing out Poolesville in the third, 24-10, with Poolesville only holding on on the strength of Ryan Shorts five points (and cool socks) in the quarter. In the fourth quarter, the Falcon comeback got rolling. Joey Cartwright (eight points) hit two three's, Zach Long (nine points total, seven in the fourth) got hot, and Reid Patton (four points total) hit a critical free throw to tie things up late. With the game on the line, Long hit a free throw, and with 5.7 seconds left Morningstar hit what would prove to be the game-winning bucket. Linganore's Thomas Lang (son of PHS Coach Tom Lang) played a tremendous game and just missed a free throw to put the game into overtime. The win puts the JV Boys back up to the .500 mark on the season.

Monocacy's Varsity Girls used their press and created turnovers and fouls to open up an early ten-point lead over the PBA Varsity Girls. The rest of the contest was evenly played the rest of the way, but the double-digit margin held up for the remainder of the game in the Mustang's 36-24 win over the Falcons. Whitney Carmack drove and shot her way to 12 points for the Falcons. Teammate Rosie Barry scored four points in the loss. Jessie Maloney, Sarah Kenneweg, and Rebekah Dill each scored a bucket. Olivia McAleer and Denise Larson also scored. "We fell apart in the beginning with turnovers and foul trouble," said Coach Laura Carmack, "but we settled down nicely in the second half---I think we outscored them by two. Mackenzie Fields did a nice job on defense against their big girl and Julia Potts worked hard for us out front."

The PBA Varsity Boys suffered their first loss of the season as Linganore "let it rain" with NINE three-point bombs finding the bottom of the net in their 56-54 win over the Falcons. "We could not stop them on defense and we played with no sense of urgency" said Coach John Weber. Andy Baker staked the Falcons to an early lead with 12 points in the first quarter. Baker finished with 30 points to lead both teams. Hunter Pearre hit for 11 points, including a clutch three-pointer to tie things up late. Craig Morton scored five points, Trevor Stottlemyer scored four points and Diesen Gorham and Mitchell Poe both hit for a bucket. 

Rising Star Boys Cook Up a Split over Weekend

UPI – Seneca Valley High School – 1/20/10 Cooking is like basketball, it should be entered with abandon or not at all.
---with apologies to Harriet Van Horne

When mixing the ingredients for a sixth grade basketball game and stuffing them into the crock pot, one of two things can happen. You can end up on the porch with your house ablaze, like Tim Harris wondering what. just. happened. Or the opposite is true. Culinary delights can emit forth and cause grown men to weep and angels to sing. Saturday and Sunday’s games provided both ends of the spectrum for the PBA Rising Star Boys.

In the Saturday game the Poolesville crew brought an easy bake oven while Run and Shoot brought a flame thrower. “They definitely came to play and we didn’t”, said Coach Marshall Micheals adjusting his scorched chef’s hat while rubbing his eyes trying to get the smoke out. The kitchen blazing behind him. “I think that we lacked intensity, we didn’t get back on defense, didn’t run the offense and half the time we didn’t know who our man was”.

After keeping up with Run and Shoot for the first few entrees, it was 27-12 at halftime and every man for himself in the end at a final score of 46-29. Poolesville was never close after the initial lighting of the grill. Fire marshal results are still pending. Jake Armstrong led the flambe with 10 points, followed by his fellow cooking show guests, Reid Patton (9) Joe Soltis (6), Ryan Bannon (2), and Andrew Bacas (2). “For the 11 seconds that we did play well, I really liked Ryan D’Amelio’s defensive positioning. Alex Dahlen rebounded well and Blake Hinson gave us some spark on defense”, continued Micheals as "Burnin’ Down the House" played in the background.

In Sunday’s match-up with the Bulldogs, greater things could not have come from any mortal crock pot. “I have not seen this team play better man-to-man defense all year”, said Micheals as he took notes from Emeril, Julia Childs, and Bobby Flay all at once. BAM. Great defense. BAM. Offensive execution. BAM. Points on turnovers after the press. Micheals continued, “I felt like this was our most complete game to date and am excited that the boys are starting to get it”.

After seeing the Bulldog’s score the first two points, Poolesville came charging back with pressure defense, a press that finally tallied some points and never looked back. Leading 26-17 at the half, the young Falcons held the Bulldogs to 12 second half points to finish the scoring at 39-29. The Bulldogs sampled eight courses of Falcon scoring as Joe Soltis (17), Jake Armstrong (5), Andrew Bacas (4), Dylan Landis (4), Louis Potts (3), Reid Patton (3), Justin Souder (2), and Ryan D’Amelio (2) all contributed.

The next game is Sunday against high school rival Damascus. Fans looking to tailgate should arrive 2 hours early.

 

 Game Summaries 1/16-17 

Varsity Boys, Girls Pick Up Saturday Wins
Senior PBA Boys Stay Unbeaten, RS Girls Split

PBA JV Girl Kristen Darragh looks to score against Windsor Knolls. Teammate Breanne Hall makes an aerobatic save against the Lady Hawks. Photos by Tom Amiot. For reprints, contact Tom at jcphotoclub@aol.com.

 

The PBA Varsity Boys stayed unbeaten by outlasting Mt. Airy on Saturday by a final score of 64-52. Andy Baker led all scorers with 28 points. Trevor Stottlemyer had nine, Craig Morton had seven, big men Charlie Miller and Diesen Gorham had four points each and Kyle Brown, Mitchell Poe, Hunter Pearre, Robbie Metz, Chris Thompson and Zach Khalil also scored. "Not our best game," said Coach John Weber, "but I'll take the win. We didn't play our typical game and our defense wasn't there. We had way too many turnovers, which resulted in us being outscored 17-11 in the third quarter. A little too much 'me ball out there today."

The PBA Varsity Girls got off to a quick start at Windsor Knolls on Saturday. Rosie Barry had it working as the tough Falcon rebounding quadrant of Mackenzie Fields, Rebekah Dill, Denise Larson and Olivia McAleer would typically grab a rebound, pass to Whitney Carmack who would then pass it off to a streaking Barry for a lay-up. Barry finished with a game-high 16 points, including two free throws that came as a result of a technical foul on the Hawks coach. The Poolesville press, combined with tough man-to-man defense kept Windsor Knolls at arm's length and a Falcon 30-23 win was the result---which was the same margin of victory the last time the two teams matched up. Carmack finished with six points and a number of steals, including several where the feisty point guard would come up from behind on her opponents and whack the ball out of their hands for a quick turnaround. Denise Larson was tough on the offensive boards and added six points, including four of the points as a result of great passes from Barry. Fields added two points underneath as well. "The girls played tough man to man defense in the second half," said Coach Laura Carmack. "Julia Potts, Jessie Maloney and Sarah Kenneweg were hard to beat and Rebekah Dill did a great job against their biggest girl down low."

The PBA JV Girls fell to undefeated Windsor Knolls, 36-12, on Saturday. Poolesville kept it close early, trailing 6-4 at the end of the first quarter, but a poor second quarter resulted in a 19-6 halftime deficit. "Windsor Knolls is really tough," said Coach Steve Morgan. "We needed to have our A-game to stand a chance, and we didn't have our A-game today. Hopefully we'll get back on track with a win at home on Monday." Anna Murgia led the team with 6 points. Ashley Adkins scored 4, and Kristen Darragh converted two free throws.

The PBA Rising Star Girls lost a close one to St Jude on Saturday by a score of 17-13. "Shooting was our down fall tonight," said Coach Chris Lee. "The team shot just five for 40 and with stats like that, it's hard to imaging walking away with a win. Playing at 8:30 PM after these girls have already played another game makes it tough to remain focused." Karyn Comfort led with the Falcon effort with seven points followed by Breanne Hall, Lauren Lightcap, and Jessie Martinez each with a bucket. Although the Falcons grabbed 32 boards, not many were converted into points. Talking about next weeks practice, Coach Hall was quoted saying, "We'll continue working on boxing out, foot work and other drills to improve our positioning for scoring."

Back in action on Sunday for their second game of the weekend, the young Lady Falcons came to play. The RS Girls walked away with a 23-9 win over the MD Hoopsters. Poolesville's ball pressure was the key to victory, with every Poolesville player grabbing at least one steal on the night. Mollie Bodmer (who was injured on Saturday), led the way with six points. Lauren Lightcap had four points, while Jami D'Amelio, Kristen Darragh, Jessie Martinez, Morgan Mullet, Allie Nevius and Erin Sparrow each chipped in a bucket. "The girls were looking to score. My favorite play was Morgan Mullet taking a shot, following it to grab her rebound and putting it back up for a bucket." said Coach Hall after the game.

 

 Game Summaries 1/14 

Not Pretty In Walkersville
PBA JV, Varsity Girls Battle Exams, Lady Lions

The PBA JV Girls lost at Walkersville on Thursday night 30-20, after falling behind 20-8 at halftime. "I was really proud of our girls tonight," said Coach Steve Morgan. "We were missing four of our players due to exams, which meant that those who were at the game were going to play more minutes than usual and some would have to fill new roles. We started slowly, but we continued to battle. Nobody exhibited that more than Mollie (Bodmer). She was working hard under the boards throughout the game, and then her shot started to fall in the second half. She wasn't alone in her efforts. Anna DeSoto and Karyn Comfort did a good job blocking shots and fighting for rebounds. I didn't always like our execution, particularly early in the game, but I loved our effort. My favorite offense play of the game was when Allyson Convers used a great head fake to get Walkersville's shot blocker to fly by before converting a shot." Bodmer led the team in rebounds with 12, and DeSoto was a close second with 11. Bodmer also led the team with 8 points. DeSoto and Comfort each scored 4, and Convers and Breanne Hall each scored a field goal.

The PBA Varsity Girls, missing several players as well, dropped their game against Walkersville. Poolesville's first half was well-played, and with the small exception of the ball not going in the hoop as often as they would have liked, the Falcons held their own against the Lady Lions. The second half was not as close as Poolesville's lack of depth played out into a Walkersville win. "We did a nice job against their starters in the fourth period but we ran out of gas," said Coach Laura Carmack. Denise Larson led Poolesville with seven points, Rosie Barry scored four points, and Olivia McAleer gave a strong defensive effort against Walkersville's "bigs" and hit for three points in the loss.

 Game Summaries 1/9-10 

PBA Varsity Squads Take Two at Middletown
Boys Dominate In O.T., Barry Hits Game-Winner for Girls

In a great divisional battle on Sunday, the PBA Varsity Boys traveled to Middletown---one of the more challenging locations in the Mid-Maryland League to play----and came home with a 65-61 overtime win. Poolesville again started off slow and trailed 12-5 early on. A 22-11 run took care in the second quarter took care of the short-lived Middletown lead. Both teams battled extremely hard the rest of the way with Middletown tying it up at 55 with nine seconds in regulation. The Falcons won the toss and outscored the home team 10-6 in overtime to claim the win. Andy Baker (10 points in the 2nd quarter) led all scorers with 25 points. Hunter Pearre (11 points) scored five points in the extra period. Mitchell Poe (13 points) and Trevor Stottlemyer (nine points) went three-for-four from the charity stripe in O.T. Craig Morton hit a couple of key buckets and finished with seven points. "In the second period our defense really kicked it up a notch, turned steals into transition and then into fast break points," said Coach John Weber. "It's fun to watch these guys when they're executing like that. Our important stats from this game are once again 15 assists (Baker with 7) and almost twice as many steals as turnovers. When almost half your points come off assists and you're responsible with the ball when it's your possession, it allows you to be competitive against good teams like Middletown."

Against Oakdale on Saturday, the sleepy Falcons again took a while to get rolling, but once they did it was all over for Oakdale and the PBA Varsity Boys rolled to a 48-29 win over the Eagles. The third quarter was the difference-maker this time with Poolesville outscoring Oakdale 18-11 and seven Falcons chipping in points in the quarter. Craig Morton led all scorers with 15 points. Baker followed up with 12 points, Poe hit for six, Robbie Metz had five, Pearre and Stottlemyer had four each and Zach Khalil had a bucket. "As a team we ended the game with 15 assists with Hunter and Andy combining for 7," said Coach Weber. "We got some big rebounds today from Kyle Brown and Diesen Gorham and a couple of assists from Connor Hall and Chris Thompson. It was a nice team effort, although we ended the game with two times the number of turnovers to steals, which we can't do and expect to win regularly."

The two-win weekend for the Varsity Boys left them alone atop the Antietam Division with a 6-0 overall record on the year.

The PBA JV Boys played well, fought hard and stayed close on Sunday against Middletown, but unfortunately that wasn't enough as the Falcons fell to the Knights by a final score of 46-31. The JV Boys opened the game with strong guard play from Joey Cartwright and Logan Rocco with crisp passes into the team's big man Steven Morningstar and with strong dribble penetration kicking the ball back out to Zack Long and Morningstar for good looks all game. Things settled down a bit in the second quarter with both teams playing solid defense and getting some offensive production leading to a halftime score of 29-24 Middletown. Morningstar presented big problems throughout the first half with his outside shooting touch, his aggressive drives to the basket, and his tenacious rebounding against taller Middletown players. The flow of the second half changed in Middletown's favor, and they managed to extend their lead slightly with some good defensive adjustments that held Poolesville to three points total for the third quarter. Middletown was able to put the game away in the fourth with composed play and tremendous free throw shooting. Success at the charity stripe was the name of the game for both teams. Poolesville scored 13 of their 31 points from the foul line hitting on 70 % of their free throws with Middletown scoring 22 of their 47 points also from the foul line hitting on 75% of their free throws. Coming off the bench for Poolesville saw Ryan Shorts, Bobby Pike and Eric Lee contributing big minutes on the defense end and holding Middletown at bay when on the court. Reid Patton once again emerged as a strong force on the boards scrapping for every missed shot. After the game Coach Morningstar was heard saying how proud he was of all the players for their hard Work and Hustle on the court today. Steven Morningstar led Poolesville with a game high 20 points. The Falcons also got a nice effort from Zach Long, who knocked down seven points.

On Saturday the PBA JV Boys faced Oakdale down two players with only seven at the game. The JV Boys played a hard fought game against Oakdale facing full court pressure all game long. Even with Oakdale's deeper bench they could not wear down the Falcons who played their hearts out---bending at times but never breaking against Oakdale's relentless pressure. Oakdale's deeper bench and pressure ended up being too much in the end and Poolesville fell 53-47. "The kids that were here today gave it all they had," said Coach Bill Cartwright. "When we tied them up late I thought we were going to win the game. Our guys played with great energy." According to the Oakdale book, Zach Long hit for 20 points, Morningstar finished with 18 and Joey Cartwright and Logan Rocco also scored.

In another close and low-scoring game for the PBA Varsity Girls, Poolesville dug in against Middletown and came out on top once again by a final score of 26-24. The Falcons were tied at 16-all when the Lady Knights decided to go man-to-man. Middletown scored the next six points from their big girl down low and proceeded to shut out Poolesville for the balance of the third period. In the fourth quarter, Poolesville solved Middletown's heavy pressure "D", came out strong and went on a run. Sarah Kenneweg hit two free throws to get it going; Whitney Carmack stole the ball on the press for a quick bucket and Rosie Barry drove for another deuce to tie up the game. Middletown then had a chance to go ahead but came up short on a shot, which returned the ball to the Falcons with little time left. In the final seconds, Rosie Barry drove again for a left handed lay-up to push the Falcons ahead by two. The Lady Knights had five seconds to tie it up but they threw it into the Poolesville press and the game was over. Julia Potts was high scorer with 8 points (she was the offside guard open and made her shots on the elbow); Barry added six points, Carmack and Kenneweg added four points each, and Rebekah Dill and Denise Larsen added two each. Mackenzie Fields played great defense and was the team-high rebounder. Jessie Maloney and Olivia McAleer played tough interior defense. Rebekah Chittenden turned in some quality minutes after being out for almost two weeks.

The PBA JV Girls lost at Middletown, 30-15, on Sunday. Middletown led 9-4 after one quarter and 16-7 at halftime. Poolesville's best quarter was the third, which ended with the score 22-14. "We showed considerable improvement in several areas, but we just couldn't put the ball in the basket," said Coach Steve Morgan. "Except for a few lapses, I thought we played good defense. Except for making our shots, I thought our offense was pretty good too. We had the shot opportunities, but we didn't capitalize. Individually, Anna Murgia stood out, particularly with her foul shooting. Breanne Hall also played very well, hustling for rebounds, steals and loose balls." Murgia led the team with 11 points. Kristen Darragh and Jessie Martinez each added a field goal.

PBA Rising Stars Win First Games Against Walt Williams, Storm

AP - Germantown Community Centre - 1/10/10
With the gym buzzing from the prospect of the PBA Rising Star Boys facing the Walt Williams led Olney Warriors, security was tight and the autograph hounds were out in force. The disappointment of the 'Wizard' not coaching the team (wrong Olney team) was quickly replaced by the buzz of a Poolesville win, 23-22.

"I'm sure that we got such a huge crowd because of Walt, but we didn't disappoint", said assistant coach Marty Micheals as he eyed the crowd wondering why there weren't more OU Bobcat fans in attendance. "Our press was working, we gained some valuable turnovers. But, the big stat of the game was the 7-24 performance at the charity stripe. We've got to get better at the freebees."

Olney raced out to a 10-2 lead until Poolesville was able to settle down and play Falcon basketball. The young middle-schoolers clawed their way back into a 12-12 halftime tie and then through a tough press, and timely turnovers, sealed the game with a Jake Armstrong foul shot. Only 14 ticks were left on the clock.

"I told the guys two things in the huddle at the end", said Coach Micheals. "The first was that we were going to win the game, and second, someone was going home a hero. Jake made his foul shot, put the finishing touch on the game, and garnered his hero status. Parents watching the game have requested a defibrillator so I'll have to check with Bannon to see if that is in the budget."

Joe Soltis continued to lead the charge with eight points, followed by Justin Souder (five), and Jake Armstrong (four). Andrew Bacas, Ryan D'Amelio had two each and Tim McIntyre had his first two points of his long future PBA career on a drive and pull up shot. Next on tap for the Falcons is Run-N-Shoot and yes, Virginia, there has been an Elvis sighting.

The PBA Rising Star Girls came home on Sunday with a 21-12 win over the Storm. Opening the game with pressure defense contributed to the Falcons running up an 11-0 first half lead. In the second half, Poolesville settled into a 2-3 zone defense with an occasional half-court jump to keep the Storm's guards honest. Poolesville guard Allie Nevius went down hard with a head injury and the Lady Falcons did their best trying to keep their minds on the game. Not knowing her status was difficult and the Storm scored eight quick points. However, the Falcons lead generated in the early stages of the game proved to be insurmountable for the Storm and it appears Nevius will be OK. A balanced attack was the game plan for the night and the Lady Falcons followed the script perfectly: Breanne Hall lead all scores with 5, and Mollie Bodmer, Karyn Comfort, Kristen Darragh and Lauren Lightcap each added 4. The team pulled 31 rebounds; Comfort led the way with seven, Bodmer had six, and Jessie Martinez and Jolee Raines each had four. Kristen Darragh and Breanne Hall each had three rebounds while Jami D'Amelio, Lauren Lightcap, Morgan Mullet and Erin Sparrow each either grabbed a board or made a steal.

 

 Game Summaries 1/04/2010 

Vikings Sent Home With Clipped Horns
Falcons Take Three of Four Against St. Johns

PBA Varsity Girl Julia Potts shoots over her taller St. Johns defender, Varsity Boy Hunter Pearre goes up for two, Karyn Comfort uses her height to snag a rebound over the Lady Vikings (and teammate Anna Murgia). Photos by Tom Amiot. For reprints, contact Tom at jcphotoclub@aol.com.

PBA JV Boy Steven Morningstar drives to the bucket. The table (David Larson, former PBA-star Karissa "Special K" Harris, and current PBA'er Ryan Bannon) keeps things straight at PHS. Photos by Tom Amiot. For reprints, contact Tom at jcphotoclub@aol.com.

The PBA JV Girls started off the new year with a 29-19 home victory over St. John's on Sunday. Poolesville led 8-3 after the first quarter, 16-13 at halftime, and 25-17 after three quarters. "I was really happy that we had eight players score," said Coach Steve Morgan. "Anna Murgia and Anna DeSoto both had really good games. Anna Murgia did a great job attacking the basket. Anna DeSoto did a great job attacking the offensive glass." Murgia led the team with 10 points and also led the team with five steals and three assists. DeSoto led the team with 10 rebounds to go along with her eight points. Taylor Thomas scored three points. Ashley Adkins, Allyson Convers and Kristen Darragh each scored a field goal. Breanne Hall added a free throw, as did Karyn Comfort, who also grabbed five rebounds.

The PBA Varsity Girls fought off a tough St. Johns squad in a game where neither team led by more than two points, including the Falcon's 26-24 final margin of victory. St. Johns used their height advantage and Poolesville responded with physical play (including plenty of fouls). In the end, a clutch Denise Larson (eight points) jump shot tied the game and a short Sarah Kenneweg jumper proved to be the winner. Strong defensive play by Rebekah Dill helped seal the win for the Falcons. Whitney Carmack led Poolesville with 10 points, Larson had eight, and Dill and Kenneweg (returning from a wrist injury) hit for four points each. "They were taller but I felt we were stronger," said Coach Laura Carmack. "Rosie Barry was real physical today as was Denise and Mackenzie Fields."

The PBA Varsity Boys stomped on the accelerator pedal early and often against St. Johns. The Falcons opened up a 18-6 first quarter advantage and extended the lead to 35-14 at halftime. "Starting the game with lots of intensity was something we talked about before the game and I was very happy with how we played tonight," said Coach John Weber after Poolesville polished off the Vikings by a final score of 66-41. "We had 10 of 11 players score tonight mostly because we had 9 of 11 with one or more assists (17 total for the team)," said Weber. Andy Baker led the way in both categories with five assists and 15 points. Diesen Gorham finished with a PBA career-high 12 points, Robbie Metz scored nine, Mitchell Poe had eight, Trevor Stottlemyer finished with six, Charlie Miller hit for five, and Craig Morton and Kyle Brown each finished with four points. Hunter Pearre and Chris Thompson also scored. Poolesville ended the game with twice as many steals (led by Craig Morton) as turnovers. "Those type of stats will really help us win games," said Weber. 

The PBA JV Boys finished off their game against St. Johns on a roll by outscoring the Vikings 13-9 in the final period using a mix of backcourt pressing and aggressive defense. The first three quarters were not as pretty as St. Johns out-gunned the Falcons to beat the home-team by a final score of 42-22. Steven Morningstar led Poolesville with 12 points. Zach Long and Joey Cartwright hit for four points each. Ryan Shorts hit two big free throws as Poolesville shifted the momentum their way in the 3rd quarter.

Rising Star Girls, Boys Open Seasons with Close Losses

The PBA Rising Star Girls started off flat but kept the Bethesda Bruins close and trailed by just a point at the half. Shooting only 3 for 12 in the second half and a let-down on defense cost the Falcons the game as they fell to Bethesda by a final score of 20-15. Jami D'Amelio and Kristen Darragh lead the Lady Falcons with four points each. Mollie Bodmer followed with three points and Breanne Hall and Karyn Comfort each added a bucket. On the boards, Hall, Darragh, and Bodmer each had five rebounds, Jessie Martinez grabbed three and D'Amelio, Comfort, Lauren Lightcap and Morgan Mullet each had two. There were sparks of defense on the night with Hall snagging three steals and Erin Sparrow heisting another. After the game, Coach Hall was quoted as saying, "Practice this week should interesting. The girls will be challenged and I hope they step-up. Intensity will be our focus."

AP – Blair High School 1/3/10 -- Each new season of PBA brings out that ‘new car smell’ in every team. Unfortunately, over the Christmas break, the PBA Rising Star Boys took the car and rammed it into both a tree and a fire hydrant. After getting the car back for this weekend, and promising to ‘drive safe’, the team did much better. It’s always good to get that first wreck out of the way. St. Bernadette's was the opponent and Poolesville got the pole position by racing to a 15-13 half time lead. After some steady rebounding provided by Dylan Landis and Joe Soltis, Poolesville was able to maintain the lead late into the second half. Unfortunately, after a few turnovers on the press break, St. Bernadette's was able to take the lead with 2:45 and never relinquished it----St. B's won by a final score of 32-29 . “We still don’t have much of a press at this point. This team is, what we say in the industry, lumbering”, said Coach Marshall Micheals as he watched the pit crew carefully tune up the engine that drives this rendition of the Rising Star Falcons. “We’ll come up with something in practice this week that will allow us to put more pressure on our opponent, and go from there”. The Falcons were green-flagged by Reid Patton with six points, followed on the circuit by Ryan D’Amelio (four), Justin Souder (five), and Jackson Purdy, Jake Armstrong, and Andrew Bacas with four points each. Joe Soltis, who had the best pre-season tournament for the Rising Star Boys, also hit for five points for the young Falcons.

The next game is this Sunday and tickets are still available.

 Poolesville High School Holiday Tournament Information------------

The Poolesville High School Varsity Boys overcame a 12-point first half to pull within one-point late in the game in their first round holiday tournament game. The Falcons could not get over the hump and fell to #5 Springbrook by a final score of 46-42. Poolesville lost to St. Stephens/St. Agnes in the consolation game. Brendan McFall led all scorers with 26 points.

The Poolesville High School Varsity Girls spotted Quince Orchard a 12-point lead in the third quarter but came back to tie it up in regulation and win it in overtime in the girls high school edition of the Sugarloaf Shootout. Lindsay Poss hit for 18 points and Kelly Hughes nailed three critical three-pointers to bring home the win. Poolesville lost to Northwest in the championship game on Tuesday night..  

  Rising Star Holiday Tournament Information   

PBA Rising Star Boys Holiday Tournament---------
Game 1----Monday (12/28) Poolesville lost to Olney Warriors 
Game 2----Tuesday (12/29) Poolesville beat the Olney Hustle 29-28
Game 3----Tuesday (12/29) Poolesville lost to Clarksburg---Tournament is over.

PBA Rising Star Girls Holiday Tournament---------
Game 1----PBA RS Girls lose to WHC Comets 21-18
Game 2----PBA RS Girls beat MD Lady Hoopsters 33-32
Game 3----Tuesday (12/29) Semi-Final Playoff--- Poolesville lost to Olney---Tournament is over.

 

 Game Summaries 12/26-27 

Darnestown Wins Shootout
Varsity Boys Fail to Reach Finals. Last Game Falcon Win Over Hawks Too Little, Too Late
RS Girls Play Close, Split First Two Games of MCRD Tourney

PBA Varsity Boy Andy Baker flies past two Darnestown defenders, a Rising Star Girl Jami D'Amelio goes high to snag a rebound, Varsity Boy Robbie Metz twists and turns for two. Photos by Tom Amiot. For reprints, contact Tom at jcphotoclub@aol.com.

The PBA Varsity Boys rode a strong 4th quarter effort to make a nice comeback and beat Windsor Knolls, 43-35, in their 5th Annual Sugarloaf Shootout final game, but the effort and the win ended up being too little, too late and the Falcons did not reach the tournament championship game. Darnestown ended up coming back to beat a surprisingly game Walkersville squad 39-31 in the tournament championship. Poolesville fell to Thomas Johnson (by a score of 43-36) and Darnestown (56-51) to gather the two losses that would keep them out of the finals. All Sugarloaf Shootout results can be found under "Tournaments".

Rising Star Girls Split to Open MOCO Rising Star tournament.

The PBA Rising Star Girls fought hard but fell in their first holiday tournament game, 21-18, to a very talented and tall WHC Comet squad. Poolesville started out slow, came out of the 2nd half on fire but ended up a little short. Kristen Darragh led the Falcons with four points followed by Breanne Hall and Lauren Lightcap with 3 each. Jami D'Amelio, Jessie Martinez and Jolee Raines each added a bucket. Mollie Bodmer had a great defensive game with 9 rebounds and 2 steals.

In the second game, the Lady Falcons walked away with a 33-32 win over the MD Lady Hoopsters. Breanne Hall hit the front end of a 1 and 1 to give the Falcons a three-point lead. Although the Lady Hoopsters scored and bucket with seconds to go, the clutch free throw sealed the deal. Kristen Darragh led the Poolesville effort with 10 points followed by Mollie Bodmer with eight. Breanne Hall and Jami D'Amelio added four points each and Allie Nevius, Jessie Martinez and Lauren Lightcap each added a bucket. Jolee Raines had a phenomenal game with four steals as a result of her outstanding full court press defense. Controlling the boards for the Falcons were Mollie with six rebounds and Darragh and Morgan Mullet with four points each. The Rising Star Girls play in the semi-finals on Tuesday.

 

 Game Summaries 12/17 

PBA Boys Sweep 'Creek!
Stottlemyer Shooting, Great Team Passing Key Varsity Win

PBA Varsity Boy Trevor Stottlemyer was the model of consistency on Thursday night---he scored exactly four points in each quarter. Stottlemyer's 16 points. along with 17 team assists, added up to a 44-34 win at Ballenger Creek. The Bulldogs kept things close all night, but the Falcons went five for six from the line down the stretch to seal the win. Andy Baker hit for 13 points and combined with Mitchell Poe (six points) for 10 of the Poolesville assists. "I thought the boys played a very good game tonight---they passed well, shot well and adjusted on defense to bring home the win," said Coach John Weber. "We also hit the boards hard tonight with 25 total for the team, led by Craig (Morton) and Andy. Even our guards got into rebounding with Chris Thompson, Robbie Metz and Hunter Pearre each pulling down 2 each. What I liked about these rebounds is they were hustle rebounds, where they just flat out beat the other players to the spot." Morton hit for five points and Metz and Pearre scored two points each.

The Varsity Boys record at the holiday break stands at 3-0. They will face three very tough opponents---Thomas Johnson, Darnestown, and Windsor Knolls----at the upcoming "Sugarloaf Shootout" held at PHS on 12/26-27. Look under "Tournaments" for more info.

JV Boys Mount Big Comeback, Ride Free Throws to Win

The PBA JV Boys---down by 10 deep into the third quarter---hit their free throws down the stretch to come from behind to beat Ballenger Creek by a final score of 41-40. Steven Morningstar was the major culprit from the line. He hit 10 of 12 from the charity stripe (and scored 13 points total) to lead the Falcons to the win. Logan Rocco had his best game as a PBA'er. He scored 11 points and hit three 3-pointers to keep Poolesville in the game. Joey Cartwright was the third Poolesville player in double-figures. He finished with 10 points. Eric Lee put the icing on the cake by controlling the game ending rebound with Ballenger Creek trying to score the go-ahead basket. Reid Patton hit for four points (all from the free throw line) and Ryan Shorts also scored for Poolesville. 

 

 Game Summaries 12/13 

Baker Torches Crestwood in Varsity Boys Win!
Varsity Girls Shut Down Windsor Knolls

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 PBA Weather Policy---No school, no practice at JPMS or the Church. 

 Falcon Camp Photo Album has been posted. Go to "Camp Info" for updated photos 

Go to "PBA Player Info" to find a listing of all 2008-09 PBA Award Winners!