PBA 2007-08 Winter League Game Summaries
February 15th and 16th---------
Rising Stars Rise to Occasion!
PBA JV Girls Win Division
Steven Morningstar denies a shot in the PBA Rising Star Boys win over LUYAA last Saturday. Annie Gillespie takes it to the hole in the PBA Rising Star Girls win over the Hurricanes. PBA Rising Star Nic Fisher shoots over his LUYAA defender. Photos by Tom Amiot.
Poolesville's PBA Rising Stars teams both picked up wins last weekend. The PBA Rising Star Boys beat LUYAA 42-25 on Saturday with eight Poolesville players landing in the scoring column. Along with Andy Baker's 22 points, Trevor Stottlemyer hit for seven points and Nic Fisher chipped in four points to help land the Rising Star Boys easiest win of the year. Connor Hall, Robbie Metz, Zach Long, Steven Morningstar and Mitchell Poe also scored for the Falcons. The Rising Star Boys got a little toasted by the WHC Heat on Sunday, losing 52-29. Baker finished with 15 points, Stottlemyer had eight, Poe had four, and Craig Morton also scored. "We've played much better the second half of the season," said Asst. Coach Kenny Kramek. "We're trying hard to improve and it feels like we are."
The PBA Rising Star Girls defeated the Cabin John Hurricanes by a final score of 8-6 on Sunday. Rosie Barry hit for five points, Jessie Maloney had two and Alyssa Nubgaard hit a late free-throw for the final margin of the game. "It's not a lot of points," said Coach Sandy Chittenden, "but I'm glad we won a close one. When they had the ball and we were holding onto our two-point lead, I kinda had that 'oh no, here we go again' feeling in my stomach. The girls did a great job on defense. Rachel Neville had a nice game for us in the middle, as did Mackenzie Fields."
The PBA JV Boys had a mixed week. They blew past Folly Quarters and Mt. Airy over the weekend but lost a crucial contest on Wednesday night to Walkersville. In the weekend wins, the Falcons outscored their opponents by a combined margin of 96-48. Andy Baker had 17 (on four three-pointers) in the Folly Quarters win and Collin Turner was right behind him with 14 points. Against Mt. Airy, Turner led the team with 10 points and Niko Micheals chipped in eight points. The loss to Walkersville was a heartbreaker as it cost the JV Boys both the regular season division championship as well as the # 1 seed in the Mid-Maryland "A" tournament. Poolesville lost to Walkersville by a final score of 24-23. The score should indicate what kind of a game it was. The Falcons found themselves up to their armpits in physical play, and while the JV Boys are strong enough to play with anyone, their run-and-gun show got bogged down in the process. "If you went into the middle, you had better keep one hand on your wallet," said Coach Marshall Michaels. "You were getting mugged. Our team is an up and down style. We need to get points and give points on big courts to win. This style is something that we haven't seen this year and although we were in the game the whole way, leading it probably 60%, it wasn't well suited for us." Baker led Poolesville with 11 points, Turner had five, Josh Womack scored three points and Kirby Carmack also scored.
The PBA JV Girls didn't score a point all weekend but still managed to win the division championship and continue their 15-game regular season winning streak. South Carroll decided not to show so the JV Girls won by forfeit and now enter this weekend's Mid-Maryland League Division 2 tournament as the # 1 seed. "I hate not winning it on the court," said Coach Cathy Carnahan. "The girls deserve better. They'll probably be even more fired up for the tournament now."
The PBA Varsity Boys fought hard, played shorthanded (point guard Brendan Carney has been out of town for the last three games) but ultimately lost to both Mt. Airy and Folly Quarters over the weekend. Dylan Bourque led the Falcons with 11 points in the Mt. Airy game with Ean Hill-Addison and Billy Cartwright adding in nine and seven points, respectively. Hill-Addison scored seven points to lead Poolesville against Mt. Airy. The Varsity Boys got it together against Walkersville on Wednesday night but still couldn't manage a win. While Poolesville lost 30-19, the Falcons got strong efforts from the seven players who showed up, with Cartwright dropping in seven points, and Bourque (five), Clint Cornell (four), and Zach Sneed and Eric Jansson also scoring. "We had some decent shots in the first half, just couldn't get anything to drop," said Coach Jeff Oyer. "We held them to four points in the third quarter to close the gap to just seven points. We rebounded pretty well and got on the floor for a lot of loose balls. Although we ran our offense pretty well, we didn't create a lot of great looks and the ones we had, we couldn't convert. Clint was a monster for us on the boards tonight. I thought Nikolay Hense did a great job defending their big guy underneath."
The PBA Varsity Girls finished their regular season with a 10-6 record---good enough to secure the second seed in this weekend's Mid-Maryland League Division 2 tournament. The Varsity Girls gave undefeated South Carroll all they could handle on Monday but eventually fell by a final score of 39-28. Lindsay Poss scored 17 points to lead the Falcons.
February 9th and 10th---------
Varsity Girls Fight Back, Win 59-52!
PBA JV Teams Romp over Smithsburg, Oakdale
Mitchell Poe looks for an opening to shoot in his PBA Rising Star game against the Bethesda Bulls. PBA Varsity Boy Brendan Carney blew past his Oakdale defender last Sunday at PHS. PBA Rising Star Boy Zach Long scored on this drive against the Bulls. Photos by Tom Amiot. (For reprints, contact Tom at JCPhotoClub@aol.com)
The PBA Varsity Girls opened up an early 10-point lead and looked to be in control against Smithsburg on Sunday. The wheels didn't exactly come off, but Smithsburg's full court pressure was effective and Poolesville found itself tied 39-all at the end of the third period. With the score tied late and only a couple of minutes left on the clock, Patti Maloney (16 points) hit two big free throws and then hit a streaking Kelly Weber (six points) for a driving lay-up. Lindsay Poss then scored the last three of her 23 points to cap the win with a final score of 59-52. Crystal Clauser hit two big jumpers from the top of the lane to keep Poolesville close. Allyson Dahlen finished with eight points. "The girls really stepped up today," said Coach John Weber. "We had a chance to fall apart and we didn't. Crystal gave us two crucial buckets when we needed them. We were unselfish and, for the most part, we passed well. That was a lot of points for only 28 minutes of play!" The Varsity Girls have lost just once since January 6th and march into the final weekend of the regular season with a 10-5 record and a match-up against undefeated South Carroll on Monday afternoon at PHS.
The PBA JV Girls dispatched yet another opponent by a big margin. This time the victim was Smithsburg and the final score was 36-18. Jocelyn Bodmer continued her recent sterling play. She hit for nine points and grabbed nine boards while also swiping four steals. Haley Davison went to the glass to score six points and grab five rebounds. Kelsey Carnahan was again the "master of ceremonies"----she scored five points and put the ball in the right places all afternoon. Allie Greene (five steals), Jamie Baker (three assists), Shannon Hemp, and Kelly Hughes each also chipped in four points. With just one game left in the regular season, the JV Girls are on an 18-game winning streak, including holiday tournament play.
The PBA Varsity Boys went toe-to-toe against rival Oakdale on Sunday. While Oakdale dressed 14 players, the undermanned Falcons had just seven men to counter the "Eagle Army". The Varsity Boys hung in there as long as they could but eventually got worn down and lost 51-36. Ean Hill-Addison scored 13 points to pace the Poolesville scoring effort. Billy Cartwright scored eight points, most of them in the Falcon's "mini" comeback late in the game. Dylan Bourque hit for five points, Eric Jansson and Zach Sneed had four points each and Brendan Carney also scored. "We've played very well of late and it's too bad we don't have a recent win to show for it," said Coach Jeff Oyer. "The kids deserve better. They keep working and playing hard."
The PBA JV Boys blew open a close game by embarking on a 17-0 run that sucked the life out of their Oakdale opponents on Sunday. The mercurial Collin Turner capped that run with a running 30-foot buzzer-beater to effectively put the game out of reach. With ten players on the scoreboard for Poolesville, led by Josh Womack (nine points), and Turner and Niko Michaels (eight points each), the Falcons flew past the grounded Eagles by a final score of 52-32. "That was a nice run," said Coach Marshall Michaels. "When we get clicking those things happen." Tony Clements finished the game strong for Poolesville. He had six points and four rebounds. Guards Andy Baker and Brandon "Handles" Prather finished with five points each. Thomas Wolz scored four points and grabbed five boards. Austin Bupp, Eric Bannon, and Kirby Carmack also scored in the win, which gives the JV Boys a 13-2 record with just two games left in the regular season.
The PBA Rising Star Girls were dealt double-defeats over the weekend, but the one that stung the most was another last second loss after a win looked like it might be in the bag. Trailing by one with 21 seconds left in the game, the Rising Star Girls ran a pick play at the top of the key. Whitney Carmack (eight points) scored off the pick to give Poolesville a one-point lead with ten seconds left. The Shooting Stars proved worthy of their name as they dribbled, passed and then hit a shot at the buzzer to deal the young Falcons a one-point defeat by a score of 11-10. "We are much improved," said Coach Sandy Chittenden. "I don't like to lose, but they beat us by 10 last time and I really thought we were going to pull this one out. Annie Gillespie, Mackenzie Fields, and Rachel Neville were great on the boards today. Julia Potts, Jessie Maloney, Heather Johnson, Alyssa Nubgaard, and Rosie Barry are playing much better defense. We played a solid game. We need to make our short shots." In addition to Carmack's eight points, Rebekah Chittenden also scored. In their other game of the weekend, the Rising Star Girls lost 30-10 to the MD Sting. Carmack and Jessie Maloney scored four points each in the loss. Sarah Kenneweg also scored in the loss.
The PBA Rising Star Boys continued their trip through the minefield known as their regular season. Poolesville lost to the taller, stronger Bethesda Bulls 51-35, and while a loss is a loss, the Falcons 15-point margin was less than half of the margin they lost to the Bulls by earlier in the year. "The kids are getting better," said Coach Kenny Kramek. "I'm hoping we'll get a good playoff draw so we can pick up some wins. We'll be OK." Andy Baker was more than OK during the Bethesda game---he finished with 19 points. Trevor Stottlemyer hit for six points and grabbed five boards. Robbie Metz, Zach Long, Mitchell Poe and Steven Morningstar also all scored for Poolesville.
February 7th---------
JV Boys Overtake Crestwood
The PBA JV Boys got a chance to bounce back from a stinging home defeat earlier in the season by beating Crestwood on Thursday night by a final score of 48-42. Led by Josh Womack’s 19 points, the team answered the bell and the pressure defense put on by the Cavaliers. The game, which featured 10 ties and 14 lead changes, remained close throughout with neither team able to soar above a 4-point lead until the very end of the contest. “It seemed like we were facing every type of defense that could be thrown at us”, said Coach Marshall Micheals, as he savored his first win over Crestwood…ever. “The boys responded very well by running the appropriate offense and taking the shots that were given to them”.
The score was tied at 11 after the first period, the hosts led 25-24 at the half, Poolesville led 34-33 after three sets and finished a strong 4th quarter with 14 points to give them the 48-42 win. Only four players found themselves in the scoring column but a solid effort was given throughout with all players contributing in the game. “I was particular pleased with the play of the big guys. Womack, Wolz, Dillon, Clements, Bupp and Bannan rebounded well while they were in and limited the second shots of Crestwood. Josh certainly came alive on offense, but Bannon controlled the high post very well and Clements really showed up at the end of the game with a key rebound and put back to ice the game.” Andy Baker pulled a hat trick + 1 by hitting a three pointer in each of the quarters. “Andy is a cool customer on top and when he is in the groove, there is no stopping him," said Micheals.
The PBA Varsity Boys gave Crestwood all they could give them but still fell to the Varsity Cavaliers by a final score of 34-31. The game was tied up at the half and stayed knotted until the end when Crestwood pulled away. Dylan Bourque led Poolesville with 13 points. Erik Jansson hit for six points (to go along with his four rebounds), Brendan Carney scored five points and Billy Cartwright, Clint Cornell, Ean Hill-Addison and Chris Oyer also scored. "Our guys played played with so much intensity," said Assistant Coach Bill Cartwright. "Some turnovers and missed lay-ups hurt us but our guys are playing hard. Some kids would have given up on their season by now but these guys have not. They are playing harder and harder---I could not be more proud of them."
February 2-3---------
PBA JV Girls Send "The Creek" Down the River!
The Rest of the PBA Weekend? Not so Good.
Jocelyn Bodmer recorded a "double-double" on Saturday as she hit for 12 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the PBA JV Girls win over Ballenger Creek. Kelly Hughes scored 11 points and grabbed four steals against "The Creek". Photos by Tom Amiot. (For reprints, contact Tom at JCPhotoClub@aol.com).
PBA Varsity Boy Ean Hill-Addison finds himself surrounded by Knights on Sunday. Meredith Jones of the PBA Varsity Girls decides keeping the ball on the right is a good move against Ballenger Creek. PBA JV Boy Josh Womack gets both hands on the rebound against Middletown. Photos by Tom Amiot. (For reprints, contact Tom at JCPhotoClub@aol.com).
The PBA JV Girls knew the best way to put their season-opening loss to Ballenger Creek behind them was to circle the return date on the calendar, work hard for the next two months, and then try to return the favor on the Lady Bulldogs home court. With revenge on their minds and unselfish basketball in their hearts, the JV Girls blew open a close game and pounded the "Creek" by a final score of 45-21. The Falcons held a four-point lead at the half and then out-scored the home team by a 26-6 margin the rest of the way.
Jocelyn Bodmer recorded the JV Girls first "double-double" of the season. She was a force under the basket and finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Kelsey Carnahan (eight points and eight assists) fed the ball consistently to Bodmer and Kelly Hughes (11 points, four steals). Bodmer and Carnahan also did a nice job of working the triangle with Jaime Baker, who finished with eight points and five assists.
"We went on a 14-point run with great passing and Jocelyn doing a nice job of finishing under the basket," said Coach Cathy Carnahan. "When Haley got in foul trouble, Allie Greene came in and did a great job on defense and took good care of the ball. Kelsey went to work in the second half with some great passes inside to get us going. Kelly hit her usual outside shots and Jaime did the same. Once we got control of the game, Ballenger Creek could not seem to figure out how to stop us. I've told the girls week after week when you play like a team; not many teams will be able to match up with us. My entire team works so hard at practice and it shows when they walk on the court. Now we just need to keep our focus and finish the season."
The PBA Varsity Girls did not fare as well against the Lady Bulldogs. Ballenger Creek out-worked Poolesville in the fourth quarter to win 45-39. The Falcons held six-point lead entering the final period, but the home team went on a 19-6 run to close the game out and thus avenge a first game of the season loss to Poolesville. The Falcons shot a combined 16 for 71 from the field and were out-rebounded by a 46-26 margin. The bright spot? Only 11 turnovers for Poolesville. Lindsay Poss scored 21 points in the loss, Patti Maloney scored eight points, Kelly Weber and Meredith Jones hit for three points each, and Crystal Clauser and Amy Defnet also scored.
The PBA Rising Star Girls played with plenty of spirit in their game against St. Judes on Sunday. They could have also used several pairs of stilts, too, however, since St. Judes started four girls taller than Poolesville's tallest player. The end result was a 38-14 loss for the fightin' feisty Falcons. "We missed several opportunities in the beginning that might have made a difference," said Coach Sandy Chittenden. "Defensively I thought we looked pretty good, but they were very tough to get a rebound against." Whitney Carmack and Annie Gillespie scored four points each to lead the junior Falcons. Sarah Kenneweg, Heather Johnson, and Rosie Barry all chipped in two points each in the loss. Rebekah Fields grabbed four rebounds.
The PBA JV Boys recorded a total of six field goals against Middletown on Sunday, and those six proved to be not enough as Middletown upended the Falcons by a final score of 24-22. The Falcons let an already slim lead slip away in the closing moments and could not convert on several attempts near the end that would have won or tied the game. Collin Turner did just about all he could to deliver the win. The guard finished with 11 points. Kirby Carmack, Niko Michaels, and Brian Dillon all scored three points each. Josh Womack hit two free throws. The loss may cost the JV Boys the Antietam Division regular season championship. They are now 5-2 in the division (11-2 overall) with a game they must win at Crestwood on Thursday night in order to keep alive their slim chances of capturing the regular season title.
The PBA Varsity Boys played very aggressively and gave Middletown all they could handle on Sunday, but a 3-for-17 free throw night doomed the Falcons to a 42-25 loss. "It's hard to say a 17-point loss was one of our best games of the year," said Coach Jeff Oyer, "but I'm really proud of how hard my guys worked. I felt like we gave it our best effort of the year, and if we could have hit our free throws we would have been in the game until the end." Ean Hill-Addison scored eight points and grabbed seven rebounds in his best performance of the year (so far). Erik Jansson scored six points and Billy Cartwright, Zach Sneed, Clint Cornell and Dylan Bourque also scored for Poolesville.
The PBA Rising Star Boys fell to the Columbia Ravens by a score of 38-23 on Sunday, but while the Ravens beat the Falcons for the second time this year, Poolesville came to play and showed how much they have improved as the season has progressed. In a recurring theme, the young Falcons went 12-for-27 from the line, a fact not unnoticed by Coach Larry Hurd. "We broke their press, we got our shots, and even after they went on an 11-0 run, my guys played aggressive and we played to win against a much taller team," said Hurd. "Hitting our free throws would have made a difference and we will work on that." Andy Baker hit for 12 points, including three 3-pointers. Trevor Stottlemyer scored six points and Robbie Metz, Craig Morton, and Connor Hall also scored for the Falcons.
January 26-27---------
PBA JV Boys Beat Glenwood in
OT!
Varsity Girls Win Again,
JV Girls Travel to "The Creek" for possible Division Championship on
Saturday
Trevor Stottlemyer fights through a couple of trees (and their branches) in the PBA Rising Star Boys game against Olney last Sunday. PBA Rising Star Girl Rachel Neville looks like she has a clear shot against Clarksburg. Rising Star Andy Baker "twists and shouts" his way to the bucket against Olney. Photos by Tom Amiot. (For reprints, email Tom at JCPhotoClub@aol.com).
The PBA JV Boys trailed Glenwood by 15 in the third period of their showdown last Sunday, but the Falcons used their depth and a nice mix of guard play and rebounding to bring down the Titans in overtime by a final score of 43-42. Poolesville held Glenwood to just two points in the final period of regulation. Collin Turner (14 points) had a big three-point play and Poolesville picked up scoring from Josh Womack (six points) and Kirby Carmack (11 points) in overtime to put the game on ice."Josh and Thomas (Wolz) were huge on the glass the whole game," said Coach Marshall Micheals. "Three Glenwood players would go in and Josh would come out with the ball. We played a slower pace than we usually do, but I didn't want to get into a track meet with these guys. We struggled in the second quarter but Andy Baker, Collin, and Brandon Prather hit huge threes to bring the game back into control. Once we were as close as 32-26, I felt like we had them in reach and could make a move. Our guards handled the ball well in the final eight seconds to seal the victory." Baker finished with six points, Prather and Wolz chipped in three points each. The JV Boys, 11-1 overall, now control their own destiny in their quest to win the regular season Mid-Maryland League Antietam Division championship.
The PBA JV Girls showed no mercy on Boonsboro for the second time this season. The Falcons beat the Warriors by a final score of 39-18 with their usual mix of great passing, timely shooting, and hard work on the boards. "My guards are getting the ball to the open players," said Coach Cathy Carnahan. "My big girls are playing aggressive under the basket so we get a lot of second chance shots. They are all just playing good team basketball." The scoring came from the usual suspects as well. The guard duo of Kelsey Carnahan (10 points, three assists) and Kelly Hughes (nine points, three assists) provided most of the punch. Haley Davison finished with six points, fellow forward Jocelyn Bodmer scored four points and grabbed eight rebounds, and Jamie Baker had a bucket and seven rebounds. Allie Greene, Carmen Maita, Kassidy Florczyk and Whitney Carmack also all scored for the JV Girls (now 12-1), who must now face the same Ballenger Creek team who dealt them their only defeat of the year. The game will be played on Saturday (2/4) at Ballenger Creek Middle School at 2:00 PM.
The PBA Varsity Girls avenged a pervious 15-point loss this season to Boonsboro with a 31-28 win last Saturday. With the Falcons were leading by seven going into the 4th quarter, Boonsboro was able to tie the game at 28-all with 1:30 left to play. The Falcon defense kicked it up a notch and didn't allow a score for the remainder of the game. Kelly Weber, on a fast break, hit an eight-footer with 34 seconds left for the go-ahead score. Allyson Dahlen hit a free throw with four seconds left to secure the win.
Dahlen led the team in scoring with 12 points as a result of the team breaking the press and feeding her the ball down low for lay-ups. Kaitlyn Bredice, Bonnie Giovannetti, Lindsay Poss, Patti Maloney and Weber also scored for the Falcons. "Breaking the press was an important part of this game and was the primary reason we came away with the victory," said Coach John Weber. "As a team we've improved over the season but still have a ways to go before we get to the playoffs." The team recorded 10 assists with Maloney and Poss leading the way with four each. Amy Defnet played well underneath the basket and did not allow Boonsboro to penetrate along the baseline. Meredith Jones, Crystal Clauser and Megan Flick all played tough on defense on top of the 2-3, keeping pressure on the Boonsboro ball handlers. "Overall it was just a good team victory and a very physical game," said Weber. "My biggest concern is that we shot less than 30% (13/45) from the field. If we want to be competitive every time we step on the court, we need to do a better job shooting." The Varsity Girls, now 9-4 overall, are riding a six-game winning streak.
With several players either out of the lineup or playing after just getting over the "winter bug", the PBA Varsity Boys fell victim to a slow start against Glenwood on Sunday night and ended up losing by a final score of 39-24. Glenwood converted their press into some easy buckets early on and pushed to a 10-point lead. The Falcons protected the ball a little better in the second quarter, but couldn't get any shots to fall and found themselves in a 22 - 8 halftime deficit. Although somewhat sloppy, the second half was much more competitive as the Falcons were more aggressive on the boards and moved the ball much better in their offense, which resulted in several players getting numerous open looks at the basket. Chris Oyer had his best game of the year with 12 points and some nice work inside. Billy Cartwright and Zach Sneed followed with five and three points respectively. Erik Jansson and Clint Cornell carried the load on the glass with seven rebounds a piece. "For whatever reason, we've been having trouble at the start of games and that's really putting us in a big hole" noted Coach Jeff Oyer. "We've got to find a way to fix that. I took a technical in the second quarter hoping that might give us a boost and I thought the boys played much more aggressively after that. Glenwood has a lot of kids with long arms and they did a great job of cutting down the passing lanes. Bounce passes in the second half helped a lot."
The PBA Rising Star Boys did their best to bring home a win this past weekend but just couldn't pull it off. They lost to a strong WHC Heat squad on Saturday by a final score of 47-16. Connor Hall played his best game of the year, according to Coach Larry Hurd. "Hall showed me something today," said Hurd, "and the rest of the team showed me something as well-----we need to get more physical, period!" Hurd's boys rose to the occasion on Sunday against the Olney Pride but ran out of gas late and lost by a final score of 41-37. Trevor Stottlemyer responded to Coach Hurd's challenge in a big way. He scored 19 points on a variety of moves and slick play underneath against the taller Pride and never backed down despite the physical play. Andy Baker scored 12 points, including a clutch three-pointer to pull the young Falcons to within two late in the game.
The PBA Rising Star Girls did all they could do to win their game against Clarksburg on Sunday---except win the game. The Falcons started off hot behind buckets from Annie Gillespie and Rosie Barry. Rebekah Chittenden, Barry, and Whitney Carmack scored before the half and Poolesville was on its way with a 14-8 lead at the midway point. Carmack did all of the scoring for Poolesville in the third period. She hit a free throw, a driving bucket, and then a three-point buzzer beater to stake the Poolesville advantage to 20-14 with just a quarter to play. Alyssa Nubgaard scored to extend the lead to eight points, but Clarksburg heated up and the Poolesville lead sank accordingly. Carmack (nine points) and Chittenden scored again, but the junior Coyotes hit a shot with 30 seconds left, and after a Poolesville turnover, Clarksburg drove the length of the court to hit the game winner at the buzzer. "I don't like it that we lost," said Coach Sandy Chittenden, "but I am proud of the fact that we did a bunch of things right today, including running our offense and switching defenses on the fly. I think we've really improved. The wins will come, just not today."
January 19-21---------
PBA Varsity Girls Win 5th Straight!
JV Teams Keep Rolling, RS Girls Win 1st
PBA Varsity Boys Zach Sneed reacts to a foul in the Varsity Boys loss to Brunswick. Teammate Dylan Bourque hits a trey against the Railroaders. Kirby Carmack hit for two of his 16 points in JV Boys win over Brunswick. Photos by Tom Amiot.
PBA JV Girl Allie Greene has her eyes on the prize against Catoctin. PBA Varsity Girl Lindsay Poss hit for two of her 12 points against the Lady Cougars. PBA Rising Star Girl Rebekah Chittenden gets a good look at teammate Annie Gillespie as she shows off her shooting form against the Shooting Stars. Photos by Tom Amiot.
The PBA Varsity Girls have shown they can compete against the best teams in the Mid-Maryland League, but they have also shown a troubling trend towards self-destructing at the worst moment. Their two games this weekend offered encouragement to Coach John Weber and his 8th grade squad. They faced two competitive Varsity teams and walked away with close but confidence-building wins.
Monocacy was the first victim of the weekend, and the Varsity Girls 42-34 victory came not just on the hot-shooting of Lindsay Poss (21 points), but also because of great passing and tough team defense for most of the game. The Falcons opened up a double-digit lead and held the Mustangs to just 10 first half points. While Monocacy managed to sneak back into the game late, Poolesville held off their charge to grab the win. Patti Maloney scored the first six points of the game (to go along with her nine rebounds) for the Falcons but was hampered with foul trouble. Allyson Dahlen scored eight points in the win, Meredith Jones scored four points, and Crystal Clauser grabbed four rebounds and had two steals. Poss went six for six from the line and also snagged six steals.
Poss and Maloney teamed up for 23 points in the Varsity Girls 31-29 win over Catoctin the next day. The Falcons ran up a big lead once again, but Catoctin played strong down the stretch and Poolesville foul trouble helped the Lady Cougars stay in the game. Kelly Weber didn't land in the scorebook, but her four steals and aggressive work under the boards paid dividends for the Falcons. Dahlen grabbed 10 rebounds to keep the Lady Cougars from getting too many second shots. Clauser stepped up again with two crucial buckets. Jones and Bonnie Giovannetti also scored for Poolesville. "We had eight assists," said Coach John Weber, "and while I'd always like more, we needed everyone of those assists tonight."
The PBA Varsity Boys played hard all weekend but have nothing in the win column to show for it. Under the watchful eye of PHS Varsity Coach Tom Lang and playing without big man Erik Jansson, the Falcons fell to Linganore on Saturday by a final score of 46-26. Clint Cornell and Dylan Bourque led Poolesville with five points each. The score was tighter on Sunday against Brunswick and so was the game itself, but the Varsity Boys had no solution for Brunswick center Ian Fisher. Fisher (6'2, 220lbs) hit for 23 points as the Falcons tried just about every measure possible to slow him down. Brendan Carney provided the spark, as usual, for Poolesville. He hit for 12 points and handled the ball well for the Falcons. Cornell hit for seven, Billy Cartwright had six, Bourque had five, Zach Sneed scored four points and Ean Hill-Addison also scored. Poolesville made several runs late, but Brunswick shot 10 for 12 from the line down the stretch to keep the Falcons at bay.
The PBA JV Girls continued their romp through the Mid-Maryland League as they handily beat Monocacy and Catoctin over the weekend. Nine players were in the scoring column in the JV Girls 41-14 win at Monocacy on Saturday. Kelly Hughes led Poolesville in scoring with 10 points, but the big story was a season-high six points and five rebounds from Noelle Decenzo. Point guard Kelsey Carnahan did her job well---she kept everyone involved and finished with six points and seven assists. The Sunday win over Catoctin was not as easy, but the end result was similar---a 53-22 Poolesville victory. "They (Catoctin) were scrappy and they stayed competitive," said Coach Cathy Carnahan. "We had foul trouble, which didn't help." What did help was a very big game from shooting guard Kelly Hughes. Hughes finished with an amazing 25 points and four steals. "Kelly shot very well this afternoon," said Carnahan. "She kind of took the life out of them." Jamie Baker shot well, too, and finished with eight points and seven rebounds. She worked the right side of the court with Jocelyn Bodmer. Bodmer grabbed the rebounds (eight of them) and kept passing to Baker. Haley Davison and Carnahan finished with six points each. Kassidy Florczyk and Whitney Carmack both also scored. The JV Girls are now 11-1 on the year, not including their sweep in the Boonsboro Holiday Tournament.
The PBA JV Boys ran through Linganore on the road on Sunday, 52-25, but found Brunswick a decidedly more difficult opponent on Sunday. The Linganore win featured nine Poolesville players scoring-led by mercurial guard Collin Turner with 18 points. "We were extra scrappy today," said Coach Marshall Micheals. "We forced 24 turnovers and that will usually give you the win." Against Brunswick, a 15-5 run at the start of the second half broke open a close game and propelled the JV Boys to a 49-38 win. Kirby Carmack scored six of his team-high 16 points in the fourth period to seal the victory. "Kirby was a real pain to them today," said Micheals. "They never got any sort of a comfort level with him in the game." Poolesville got balanced scoring from the usual suspects. Josh Womack finished up a strong weekend with 10 points, Turner had eight, Andy Baker hit for seven, and Tony Clements played a strong fourth quarter and finished with five points. Brian Dillon and Brandon "Handles" Prather also scored for the JV Boys, who now stand at 10-1 and face a tough match-up at Piedmont division-rival Glenwood on Sunday night.
The PBA Rising Star Girls outscored Cabin John 11-0 in the second half of their game last Sunday to finish off a major comeback and beat the Hurricanes by a final score of 14-7. The victory was the Rising Star Girls first win of the year. Rosie Barry and Whitney Carmack scored four points each to lead the Falcons. "We did a great job of breaking their press," said Coach Sandy Chittenden. "I thought we played tough defense all game long. Julia Potts, Heather Johnson, and Mackenzie Fields really stepped it up for us today." In addition to Barry and Carmack's buckets, Annie Gillespie, Sarah Kenneweg, Jessie Maloney and Rebekah Chittenden all scored. The RS Girls fell on Saturday to the Shooting Stars by a final score of 22-10.
The PBA Rising Star Boys evened their season at 2-2 with a 34-30 win over LUYAA on Sunday and defense was the key to the win. Both teams were in a full court press almost the entire game. Nic Fisher did an excellent job early on in the game keeping the team in control. Jon Hart came off the bench with great intensity; he picked up three steals on three straight possession. The play of the game came from Steven Morningstar. Late in the fourth quarter, with the Falcons up by four and only two minutes left, Morningstar foiled LUYAA's fast break by stepping up in the lane. He took a huge charge that pretty much sealed the win for the Falcons. Andy Baker carried the scoring load again for Poolesville. He finished with an astounding 20 points. Craig Morton hit for six points, Trevor Stottlemyer scored four points and grabbed six boards, Robbie Metz scored a bucket, as did Morningstar.
January 12-13---------
8-0 Weekend for PBA Mid-Maryland Teams
Rising Star Teams Fight Hard, Lose
PBA Rising Star Girl Rosie Barry shows she can still get inside position against an apparent giant Maryland Sting player. Coach Sandy Chittenden explains the press break to her RS Girls. Sarah Kenneweg looks to pass around, yes, another giant defender.
PBA JV Boy Eric Bannon drives for two against St. Johns on Sunday. PBA Varsity Boy Billy Cartwright nails a jumper against the Vikings. Photos by Tom Amiot. (For reprints, contact Tom at JCPhotclub@aol.com).
The PBA JV Girls hang out with a good friend of theirs----the big-time Boonsboro Holiday Tournament trophy. Under the watchful eye of her mom, Rebekah Chittenden goes up strong against the Sting.
The PBA JV and Varsity Boys and Girls teams each won two games last weekend with the JV teams both showing continued momentum as they march through the season with just one loss each. The Rising Stars didn't have as much luck with the RS Boys dropping two games and the RS Girls losing to a gigantic MD Sting team.
The PBA Varsity Boys picked up two more wins last weekend as they beat both MSD (32-27) and St. Johns (44-37) in well-played, hard-fought contests. At MSD on Saturday, the Varsity Boys took the lead in the second quarter and the nursed it home for the win. Eight players scored for Poolesville with no player scoring more than seven points. In the Varsity Boys win over St. Johns, Brendan Carney took over the game at the end of the third quarter to help Poolesville overcome a seven-point Viking lead. Carney hit an "and one" at the end of the third period to cut the lead to one. He then opened the fourth period with two made free throws and a three-pointer to tie the game at 34-all with four minutes left. After a Dylan Bourque (14 points on four three's) three-pointer gave Poolesville the lead, Ean Hill-Addison made a nifty pass underneath to Zach Sneed who converted it for a four-point Poolesville lead. Billy Cartwright (six points) hit two free throws and then Carney hit two more freebies to nail down the win.
The PBA Varsity Girls kept it going with big wins over North Hagerstown and last year's champion Glenelg. Lindsay Poss got the ball rolling in the 45-43 win over North Hagerstown. She scored 10 of her 16 points in the first quarter as Poolesville opened up a modest lead. Then Poss and Patti Maloney (12 points, seven rebounds) teamed up to score the last eight points of the game to deliver the victory. The key play of the game was a Meredith Jones blocked shot in the final seconds. Allyson Dahlen finished with six points and 12 rebounds. Amy Defnet finished with four points, Crystal Clauser with three, and Jones, Bonnie Giovannetti, and Kelly Weber also scored. "One of our best passing games of the year," said Coach John Weber. "It got a little tight at the end but Meredith came up big on that block and I though Patti played well down the stretch despite playing with four fouls." The Varsity Girls smashed Glenelg on Sunday by a final score of 35-11. Eight players, led by Poss with nine, scored for Poolesville. The team recorded seven assists. Dahlen grabbed nine steals-mostly off the Falcon's very effective full-court press.
The PBA's JV Boys thumped both MSD and St. Johns last weekend. The Falcons rolled up 25-point halftime leads in both games. Twelve players scored for Poolesville in the MSD win as the Falcons used their size, pressure, and speed to overwhelm the Orioles by a score of 62-13. Kirby Carmack, Robbie Lenz, and Collin Turner paced Poolesville with eight points each. The result was very similar against St. Johns with the JV Boys winning by a final score of 63-22. Turner hit for 11, Lenz hit for eight, and Eric Bannon scored six points as did Carmack, Niko Micheals, and Brian Dillon. Andy Baker and his fellow "A.B." Austin Bupp, hit for five points each, Josh Womack and Brandon "Handles" Prather scored four points each, and Andrew Wills also knocked in a bucket. The double win weekend pushes the JV Boys Mid-Maryland League record to 8-1 on the year.
The PBA JV Girls are winning just as impressively as evidenced by their 42-6 win over North Hagerstown and their 47-16 victory over Crestwood last weekend. 10 players scored for Poolesville in the easy N.H. win. The Crestwood game got off to a slow start for Poolesville, but before long another blowout win was at hand. Kelsey Carnahan hit for 11 points and delivered five assists in the victory. Jocelyn Bodmer hit double-figures due to her hard work around the bucket. She finished with 10 points and three rebounds. Jaime Baker and Kelly Hughes hit for eight points each, Shannon Hemp had four points, and Haley Davison, Noelle Decenzo, and Allie Green also scored for the Falcons. The JV Girls stand at 9-1 for the season with their only blemish a loss to Ballenger Creek in the season opener. The two teams meet again on February 2nd at Ballenger Creek.
The Rising Star Girls played an excellent first half and trailed by just one point near the end of the third period in their game against a team of giants known as the Maryland Sting. While the Poolesville squad is not blessed (at least not yet) with above-average height, the RS Girls proved they could hang with the taller Sting by out-hustling them. "We did a great job with our press break in the first half," said eight-year veteran PBA Coach Sandy Chittenden. "We switched to a zone defense during the first half and our girls handled it real well---that's something we couldn't have done last summer. It got away from us at the end but I'm proud of our effort and improvement." Rosie Barry hit for four points, Whitney Carmack had three, and Sarah Kenneweg, Heather Johnson, Alyssa Nubgaard, and Rebekah Chittenden also all scored.
The Rising Star Boys have found out that winning their summer league division is not all it's cracked up to be. Due to their outstanding efforts and winning record last summer, the local boys have found themselves in a winter league division packed with the best teams in the Baltimore-Washington region. Coach Larry Hurd is not singing the blues---he plans on winning when he can but more importantly he wants to work with his kids to get to the level of play he expects of them.
While Poolesville lost twice last weekend, both games provided a measuring stick for the young Falcons. Last Saturday Poolesville faced an oversized Bethesda Bulls team. The kids hung in there but lost to their taller opponents by a score of 35-15. Trevor Stottlemyer hit for eight points in the loss and finished with seven rebounds. Craig Morton scored four points, Andy Baker had two and Mitchell Poe also scored. The RS Boys fell to an extremely quick Columbia Ravens squad on Sunday by a score of 56-27. Baker kept the Falcons in the ballpark with 20 points on five three-pointers. Nic Fisher played very aggressively and finished with four points. Morton and Robert Jacobs also scored for Poolesville.
"All of the teams in our league will be very competitive," said Coach Hurd. "Most will be travel level teams. On one hand this is great. Our kids will get to see what basketball is like on the outside of the small confines of Poolesville. My guys will improve because we are playing teams that are better competition then we have played in the past. We are going to go after every victory that we can, but our goal is to improve as a team and for the long haul as well."
January 5-6---------
Sunday Sweep at PHS!
Rising Star Boys Win Opener. Another "Quadruple-Header" this Sunday.
Jack Seeger has both eyes on the bucket as he drives for a lay-up in the Varsity Boys easy win against Taneytown last Sunday. The Rising Star Boys' Craig Morton shows he has been working on his left-handed dribbling skills in the Falcons close win over Olney. Austin Bupp led the JV Boys in scoring last weekend in their win over Taneytown. Photos by Tom Amiot (For reprints, contact Tom at JCPhotoClub@aol.com).
Shannon Hemp did a little bit of everything, including hitting for 10 points, in the PBA JV Girls convincing win over West Frederick last Saturday. PBA Varsity Girl Patti Maloney peers over the defense as she looks to pass against West Frederick. Photos by Tom Amiot (For reprints, contact Tom at JCPhotoClub@aol.com).
The PBA JV and Varsity Boys and Girls Basketball teams rolled past their opponents last Sunday at PHS. The victories touched off a nice winning weekend featuring another Varsity Boys triumph, a continuation of the JV Boys and Girls fine seasons, and an opening day win for the Rising Star Boys.
In opening game action on Sunday, the PBA JV Girls used a 2nd quarter shut-out to blow open a relatively tight game against Monocacy. The final two quarters were not much better for the Mustangs and the end result was a 43-20 Poolesville win. Kelly Hughes hit for ten points (eight in the first quarter) to pace Poolesville. Fellow guard Kelsey Carnahan hit for seven points, dealt seven assists (most to Hughes), and snagged three steals. Haley Davison had nine rebounds and four points, 6th grade sensation Whitney Carmack hit for eight points, and all players scored for Poolesville except for Allie Greene. Greene more than made up for the goose-egg by unselfishly passing off for five assists. The JV Girls crushed West Frederick on Saturday, 55-15, with Hughes hitting for 11 points (all in the first quarter). Forwards Shannon Hemp (10 points) and Jocelyn Bodmer (eight points) did a nice job in the paint against the Lady Cadets.
The PBA Varsity Girls opened up a 25-4 advantage over Monocacy and then settled in for a 35-23 win over the Mustangs. The big lead was a result of the Falcons converting their press-break into buckets. Eight first half Poolesville points came off of lay-ups after the Falcons broke the Mustang press. Patti Maloney led Poolesville with 11 points and nine rebounds. Allyson Dahlen picked up ten points and also managed seven steals. Kelly Weber, Lindsay Poss and Meredith Jones scored four points each and Crystal Clauser hit two clutch free throws during the middle of the Monocacy comeback. The result was not so cheery on Saturday as the Varsity Girls fell to West Frederick by a score of 43-22.
The PBA JV Boys beat an overmatched first year Taneytown team on Saturday by a final score of 63-6. After Poolesville opened up a 32-0 halftime lead, most fans in attendance were rooting for at least one or two Taneytown scores. While all JV Boys managed to score in the rout, Austin Bupp took the most candy from the baby as he hit for 12 points, most coming on converting offensive rebounds on the weak side (good move!). The guard duo of Collin Turner and Kirby Carmack hit for ten and nine points respectively. Josh Womack had seven points, Niko Micheals, and Andrew Wills six each, and Brandon Prather (four points) was assigned the duty to NOT score near the end of the game. Thomas Wolz, Tony Clements, Brian Dillon, Robbie Lenz, and Andy Baker also scored for the Falcons.
The PBA Varsity Boys basically duplicated the JV effort with a 72-16 win. One look at Taneytown and the entire gym knew the game plan----feed the ball to Erik Jansson since no one in a blue uniform was within the ballpark, height-wise, of the burly Falcon center. Jansson (14 rebounds) hit for a lifetime high of 27 points and there were plenty of other points to go around as all players in a Falcon uniform scored. Billy Cartwright hit for 11 points, Chris Oyer and Dylan Bourque scored seven points each, Clint Cornell continued his recent fine play by scoring five points and grabbing nine boards, and Brendan Carney (four points), Ean Hill-Addison (four), Jack Seeger (three), and Nicolay Hense and Zach Sneed also found the bottom of the net.
The Rising Star Boys picked up their first winter league win with a 35-31 victory over the Olney Pride last Sunday. Andy Baker lit it up against the much taller Pride. He finished with 23 points despite Olney's heavy defensive pressure. Steve Morningstar hit three out of four from the free throw line with the game on the line to help ice the win for the Falcons. "Poolesville teams always end up playing larger teams---that's the way it is," said Coach Larry Hurd. "We have to figure out a way to beat them and the guys did a nice job today. We worked hard to get out on our break and Baker did a nice job of converting his opportunities. I thought Craig Morton gave us some big minutes and some key baskets. Our defense at the end was outstanding."
The Rising Star Girls played well in their winter debut, but it wasn't enough to bring home a win as the Falcons fell to St. Judes by a final score of 32-22. Whitney Carmack led Poolesville with nine points and Sarah Kenneweg hit for eight points in the loss. "We started off in a zone and then switched to a man-to-man," said Coach Sandy Chittenden. "Once St. Judes got their early run out of the way, I thought we played excellent defense and we even did a decent job of running our offense---especially in the fourth quarter." The Rising Star Girls scored 12 points in the final period to close the gap. In addition to Carmack and Kenneweg's points, Rosie Barry hit for three points, and Mackenzie Fields and Rebekah Chittenden each had a bucket in the loss.
Holiday Tournament Wrap-ups
PBA JV Girls Claim Boonsboro Championship!
Varsity Boys Beat Darnestown for First Win
The PBA JV Girls pick up another championship with their sweep of opponents at the Boonsboro Holiday Tournament. Top row from left: Jocelyn Bodmer, Shannon Hemp, Kelsey Carnahan, Haley Davison, Kelly Hughes, and Noelle Decenzo. Kneeling from left: Jaime Baker, Carmen Maita, Allie Greene, and Kassidy Florczyk. Not pictured: Whitney Carmack.
The PBA Varsity Boys mob teammate Clint Cornell after he hit the winning bucket in their "Sugarloaf Shootout" win over Darnestown. From left: Dylan Bourque, Nicolay Hense, Cornell, Collin Turner, and Josh Womack. Photo by Tom Amiot.
The PBA JV Girls made a long weekend in Boonsboro worth the multiple trips back and forth as they marched their way through their opposition to capture the Boonsboro Holiday Tournament Championship. Coach Cathy Carnahan's crew never was threatened during the entire tournament with each win coming by thirty points or more. "I've never seen a 7th grade team pass as well as they do," said Tournament Director Kevin Myers. "They put on a clinic. Some of the teams they played are hoping they'll never have to see them again." The JV Girls beat Shippensburg, Walkersville, Brunswick and then Windsor Knolls in the championship game. "They all played so unselfish," said Coach Carnahan. "They were always looking up court for the open player and when they had good looks at the basket, they finished. They did a great job, I am very proud of all of them".
The PBA Varsity Boys picked up their first win of the year this past Sunday against a strong Darnestown team in 2nd round play of the Middle School Sugarloaf Shootout. With both teams trading leads throughout the contest, Poolesville was the last to strike as Clint Cornell hit a soft floater off the backboard with just seconds left to deliver the win for the Falcons. The team "borrowed" JV players Collin Turner, Kirby Carmack and Josh Womack for different games of the tournament and Turner came up big in the win against the Cougars. He went five for six from the line in the fourth quarter and finished with 13 points to help the Poolesville cause. Big men Erik Jansson and Zach Sneed both finished with eight points each. "All season long we have been in each game until the end but we just have not been able to finish," said Coach Bill Cartwright. "Today we finished strong and we brought home the win. Clint will remember that shot for a long time." The Varsity Boys have a stretch of games coming up where they should be able to add to their win total.
In other tournament action over the long holiday weekend, the PBA Varsity Girls lost in first round action of the Boonsboro Holiday Tournament but managed to use that loss to climb through the "one loss" bracket of the double-elimination tournament to get near the championship game. Poolesville ended up losing to the eventual tournament winner West Frederick in the semi-final round of play. The PBA JV Boys won two out of three games in the MOCO Rec. 7th Grade Rising Star tournament but could not advance to the finals. The PBA Rising Star Boys opened up tournament play with three straight wins in the MOCO Rec. 6th Grade Rising Star tournament but lost in the semi-finals to a strong Clarksburg team.
December 22nd-23rd---------
PBA JV Boys Brian Dillon and Collin Turner get some air time in against Crestwood and Walkersville. Photo by Tom Amiot. (For reprints, please email Tom at JCPhotoClub@aol.com).
PBA Varsity Girls Patti Maloney and Amy Defnet use a combination of touch and strength to score against Boonsboro on Sunday. Whitney Carmack of the JV Girls may not have the size just yet but she certainly has the "ups" as she goes over Boonsboro defender to score. Photos by Tom Amiot.
Brendan Carney of the PBA Varsity Boys weaves his way through the Walkersville defense while JV Center Thomas Wolz knows he can just shoot over his Crestwood defender. Photo by Tom Amiot.
PBA JV Girls Sweep Weekend
The PBA JV Girls put their opening game loss to Ballenger Creek in perspective. They've put it behind them, but they haven't forgotten the lessons learned from it. In their two games over the weekend, Poolesville passed, shot, and defended their way to two straight lopsided wins and in the process played more like they should have played in the loss to the "'Creek".
Against North Hagerstown on Saturday, the JV Girls won by a score of 53-8 but it could have been a lot worse for the visitors. Coach Cathy Carnahan pulled back the reigns after the Falcons opened up a 25-0 halftime lead. While her starters performed admirably, Carnahan was visibly impressed with the effort of guards Allie Greene and Whitney Carmack, each of whom scored six points and had two assists in the win. Kassidy Florczyk grabbed three steals, Carmen Maita scored four points and snagged two steals and Shannon Hemp (four points, six rebounds) and Noel Decenzo (two points, five rebounds) also pitched in quality minutes with their extended playing time. All eleven girls managed to score against North Hagerstown.
Sunday against Boonsboro brought a similar end result (a 51-16 win) with big contributions from the bench, but the Poolesville starters put on a passing clinic that met the approval of just about all fans in attendance---even those rooting for the Lady Warriors. The Falcons put 26 first-quarter points on the board through a mix of passing and shooting that resembled the Phoenix Suns in action. If Kelsey Carnahan/Steve Nash (six points, five assists) wasn't passing the ball to a cutter for an easy lay-up, then Kelly Hughes (16 points, five steals) was finishing a fast break with a lay-up. If Jocelyn Bodmer (eight points, five rebounds) wasn't muscling her way to a put-back basket, then Jaime Baker (10 points, six steals) was using her sweet stroke to find the bottom of the net. Center Haley Davison got into the act too with four points and five rebounds. Greene and Carmack again scored and grabbed three steals each. The JV Girls now stand at 5-1 entering the holiday break.
The PBA Varsity Girls played well over the weekend but a 4th quarter swoon against Boonsboro on Sunday cancelled a possible two-win weekend. The Varsity Girls beat North Hagerstown on Saturday 32-31 in a game that featured a number of gritty comebacks by Poolesville. The Falcons trailed by six in the third quarter, but four points each from Lindsay Poss and Patti Maloney (12 points each total) and a crucial bucket from Allyson Dahlen (six rebounds) tied the score at 26-all at the end of the third quarter. Maloney then scored four points on two nice passes from Kelly Weber (eight steals, four rebounds) and Poss then gave Poolesville the final margin of victory by hitting an eight-footer with a defender in her face. North Hagerstown had a chance to score the go-ahead basket but Kelly Weber tied up her opponent on the final shot to force a jump ball and give Poolesville the win. Crystal Clauser hit for two key buckets and Amy Defnet grabbed three rebounds in the victory.
The Varsity Girls couldn't keep it together on Sunday as Boonsboro broke open a close game by outscoring the Falcons 16-4 in the final period to earn a 39-24 win. Maloney scored 10 points and snagged seven rebounds in the loss. Dahlen collected 10 rebounds before fouling out late in the third period. Clauser and Defnet hit for four points each and Meredith Jones and Weber also scored in the loss.
The PBA JV Boys dug themselves into a small hole against Walkersville on Saturday but used outstanding guard play to come back and beat the Lions by a final score of 33-29. The Falcons trailed for all but the final five minutes of the game, but five points each from Andy Baker and Kirby Carmack in the final period pushed Poolesville to the win. "I don't like playing from behind," said Coach Marshall Micheals, "but our defense really clamped down on them in the second half and any time you hold a team to less than 30 points you have a chance to win." Indeed the Poolesville defense did the job as Walkersville was limited to just one field goal in the second half. Guard Collin Turner led Poolesville with 10 points (all in the first three quarters), Brandon Prather scored five points, including a clutch buzzer-beater at the half to pull Poolesville within five at the break. Tony Clements scored three points in the win and Coach Micheals cited Brian Dillon for his hard play. Baker and Carmack finished with seven points each.
Sunday was not as pretty for the JV Boys as they squandered a three-point lead after three-quarters to lose to Crestwood by a final score of 45-32. In an almost repeat of the Walkersville box score, Turner scored 10 points, Baker had seven and Carmack scored five points. Center Thomas Wolz hit for five points, fellow big man Josh Womack scored three points, and Brian Dillon scored a bucket. Andrew Wills was the defensive unsung hero for the game. He had three steals and numerous stops on "D".
The PBA Varsity Boys proved, once again, that they could play hard and stay in the game with any opponent. The lost to both Walkersville (32-19) and Crestwood (53-39) over the weekend, but it wasn't for a lack of effort or execution. "Our guys are playing as hard as they can," said Coach Jeff Oyer. "I can't ask any more from them---they are giving it all they have and we were in both games. We're not as deep as the teams we've played against and that hurts us. We'll find a way to scratch out a win soon and then I think we'll get on a roll after that." Poolesville allowed just one third quarter point against Walkersville on Saturday but couldn't close the gap despite a game-high seven points from Erik Jansson, five points from Brendan Carney, four points from Ean Hill-Addison and three points from Billy Cartwright.
The Varsity Boys doubled their offensive output on Sunday but it wasn't enough to hold off a strong Crestwood team. Playing with a short bench (minus no-shows Ramos, Seeger, and starter Hill-Addison), the Falcons kept it close but could not overcome an early ten-point deficit. Carney finished with 12 points on some big-time drives through traffic, Jansson was big on the boards again with 10 points and eight rebounds, and Zach Sneed looked for his shot and found it with six points to go along with some nice defensive stops. Dylan Bourque hit for four points and had three assists; Cartwright had four points and four steals. Chris Oyer scored for Poolesville and the gritty Clint Cornell scored and showed he is not afraid of mixing it up underneath. The Falcons get a chance at Crestwood again this weekend during the "Sugarloaf Shootout" held at PHS.
December 16th---------
PBA JV Teams Enjoy Trip to Middletown,
Varsity Teams---Not So MuchPoolesville's JV and Varsity squads spent last Sunday (12/15) in the Middletown High School gym. The two younger squads found the surroundings to their liking, the two senior PBA squads left with a bad taste in their mouths.
The PBA JV Girls got the ball rolling with a 36-22 win over their Lady Knight counterparts. Poolesville got it going in the second half with a 23-point effort fueled by their press and overall hard-nosed defense. "We had a nice discussion at halftime about what it would take to win the game," said Coach Cathy Carnahan. "Our press seemed to raise our energy level, plus our bench gave us some good minutes when we needed them." Haley Davison (two points, five blocks) and Jocelyn Bodmer (seven points, seven rebounds), with teammates Shannon Hemp and Noel Decenzo, took care of business in the lane while the reliable guard duo of Kelly Hughes (13 points) and Kelsey Carnahan (eight points, six steals) took care of business on the perimeter. Jaime Baker scored four points and grabbed three steals, Kassidy Florczyk and Allie Greene played their usual tough "D", Carmen Maita pulled down three rebounds, and Whitney Carmack scored two points and grabbed three steals in the win.
The PBA JV Boys scored in the 40's again for the third straight game and in doing so pushed their record to 3-0 for the young season with a 41-37 win over Middletown. The inside-outside duo of Kirby Carmack (15 points) and Josh Womack (14 points, ten rebounds) provided the spark for Poolesville in the win. "Our guys did a nice job of starting strong, which is the way we have started all of our games this year so far," said Coach Marshall Micheals. "Our press worked, and for a while, their press worked too and we got caught up in rushing our shots and taking bad shots. We got our act together and started playing to win, instead of playing to lose." Brandon Prather hit for five points in the win and made several nice hustle plays. Helping Womack in the paint was Robbie Lenz (four rebounds) and Austin Bupp (two steals). Niko Micheals (two assists), Andy Baker, Tony Clements, and Brian Dillon also scored for the Falcons. Womack played most of the 2nd half with four fouls but kept his head in the game and his hands on the rebounds.
The PBA Varsity Girls quickly dug themselves a big hole in the first half of their game against Middletown. Poor shooting (five for 23) and turnovers (14) helped the Lady Knights to a 14-point advantage at the half. Poolesville turned it around in the second half behind 14 points each from Patti Maloney and Lindsay Poss, but it wasn't enough as Poolesville fell to Middletown by a final score of 51-42. "Our shot selection improved in the second half and we had just six turnovers----two good reasons why we got back in the game," said Coach John Weber. "Once we woke up and decided to play the game the right way, I thought we put out a good effort." Poss finished with 20 points, Maloney with 16, Allyson Dahlen hit for four and Meredith Jones scored a bucket.
The PBA Varsity Boys found themselves in the second Poolesville hole of the day as Middletown hit three three-point shots to start the game and in the process ran up a 28-point halftime lead. The Falcons went into the half down, but not out. "I told the kids at halftime that we were not going to give up the second half," said Coach Jeff Oyer. "The kids put out a tremendous effort and actually had the second half won until Middletown hit a buzzer-beater three at the end of the game. We came out much stronger and were more aggressive on defense and we rebounded better. We also had better luck against their half-court trap and we set ourselves up for some easy baskets. Brendan Carney played a great game for us just a few weeks after surgery---he was our only ballhandler, played the whole game, and he penetrated and protected the ball very well." Zach Sneed came alive in the third quarter with eight points. Nikolay Hense played his best game of the year and finished with a bucket and several rebounds. Jack Seeger showed he is picking up the game---he played aggressive defense in the second half and finished with a number of steals. Chris Oyer scored five points and snagged a number of key second half rebounds.
December 9th---------
Girls Take Two at Smithsburg
The PBA Varsity Girls recorded their second win of the season with a 37-26 victory last Sunday (12/9) over the Smithsburg Leopards. Poolesville got off to a slow start and led just 12-10 at the half. The Falcons responded to Smithsburg's pressure defense in the fourth quarter. They outscored the Leopards 14-7 in the final period by consistently hitting the open man for easy buckets. "We only had three players score in the first half, which usually spells trouble for us," said Coach John Weber. "In the second half, seven out of our eight players put points on the board, and when we pass well, we usually win." Lindsay Poss and Allyson Dahlen each scored 10 points for Poolesville. Kaitlyn Bredice contributed six points, Kelly Weber and Meredith scored four points each and Crystal Clauser and Bonnie Giovannetti also both scored. Amy Defnet fouled out early in the 4th quarter after pulling down a number of important rebounds and playing excellent defense. Patti Maloney made a go of it early on but was too sick to complete the game.
The PBA JV Girls played their brand of basketball against Smithsburg on Sunday as they passed, shot, and defended their way to an easy 41-11 win over Smithsburg's JV Girls team. "We did what we were supposed to do today," said Coach Cathy Carnahan, "plus the ball was dropping for us, which always helps." Kelly Hughes hit for 14 in the win, Haley Davison provided another strong performance with eight points and six rebounds. Kelsey Carnahan had seven points and eight assists. The two "JBs", Jaime Baker and Jocelyn Bodmer, each scored four points and had numerous rebounds. Kassidy Florczyk and underclassman Whitney Carmack both scored and were cited by Coach Carnahan for their defensive efforts. PBA newcomer Noel Decenzo showed she is picking things up by grabbing two steals and a rebound.
December 2nd---------
Boys, Girls Split for 2nd Weekend in a Row
PBA Varsity Boys center Erik Jansson leaps over this teammates and Brunswick opponents to grab a rebound in action last weekend. His counterpart on the PBA JV Boys, Josh Womack, goes up strong against the Railroaders. Photos by Tom Amiot.
The four PBA teams in action split against their opponents last weekend. The two JV teams won with the PBA JV Girls gaining their first victory of the year in a 35-25 win over Catoctin. Haley Davison powered the JV Girls to the victory with 14 points. The PBA JV Boys beat Brunswick 45-32 to notch their second victory of the year. The PBA Varsity Girls fell to Catoctin's Varsity 48-41 while the PBA Varsity Boys lost to the Railroaders in overtime by a score of 33-32.
November 25th---------
Poss Hits for 16, Boys and Girls Split Openers
Tony Clements of the JV Boys goes up strong while Crystal Clauser of the Varsity Girls chases down a loose ball.
In the first of several "Quadruple-Headers" scheduled for the PBA this year at Poolesville High School, the PBA Varsity Girls beat Ballenger Creek and the PBA JV Boys triumphed over Catoctin to salvage a split over their Mid-Maryland League foes on opening weekend.
The PBA Varsity Girls beat the Lady Bulldogs by a final score of 34-28. While the final margin made it look like the game was close, a late flurry by Ballenger Creek only closed the gap on what really was a game dominated by Poolesville. Lindsay Poss picked up right where she left off last season by scoring 16 points to push the Falcons to a double-digit lead early on. Allyson Dahlen, in her first official appearance since recovering from a broken arm, hit for six points and grabbed six boards. Kelly Weber and Kaitlyn Bredice hit for four points each, Meredith Jones got a bucket, as did Patti Maloney.
The PBA JV Girls (who are the defending Rising Star Champions from last year) didn't quite open up their season the way they expected. Poor shooting down the stretch and some foul trouble to key personnel doomed the JV Girls to a 25-18 loss to Ballenger Creek. Falcon guard Kelly Hughes, despite limited court time, led Poolesville with eight points and four steals. Running mate Kelsey Carnahan hit for five points, as did Jocelyn Bodmer (who also snagged four steals). Haley Davison was a force on the boards with seven rebounds. Allie Green also recorded four steals.
The PBA JV Boys made it look easy in their 47-32 win over Catoctin. Ten Poolesville players in the scoring column, plus 21 turnovers forced by the rabid Falcons, delivered the win for Coach Marshall Micheals and his gang. Kirby Carmack and PBA newcomer Josh Womack led Poolesville with eight points each. Tony Clements and Thomas Wolz were right behind them with six points each. Football MVP Collin Turner put his basketball game on to hit for five points. Brandon "Handles" Prather scored four points, Brian Dillon and Andy Baker hit for three points each, and Andrew Wills and Niko Micheals also scored for Poolesville in the runaway win.
The PBA Varsity Boys opened up an early seven point lead, stayed close and trailed by just one at the end of the third quarter, then got outscored 14-2 in the final period to lose to Catoctin by a final score of 34-21. Poolesville was in it until the end, however, thanks to the heroics of Dylan Bourque (six points), Ean Hill-Addison (six points, five rebounds), and Erik Jansson (five points, five rebounds). Zach Sneed and Billy Cartwright also scored for the Falcons.
Winter 2006-07 Game Summaries
PBA and Poolesville High School Final Tournament Info
The PBA Rising Star Girls (13-1 and the # 1 seed in the MOCO Rec 6th Grade Rising Stars East Regional bracket) won all four of their playoff games including the 6th Grade Rising Star Girls Championship Game!
The PBA Varsity Girls (15-3) won the Mid-Maryland League Division IV tournament by beating Glenelg on Sunday (3/4) by a final score of 29-24.
The PBA Rising Star Boys (9-2) lost their MOCO Rec 6th Grade Rising Stars Midwest Regional bracket playoff game against the Bearcats on Saturday (3/10) and their season is over.
The PBA Varsity Girls (15-3) won the Mid-Maryland League Division IV tournament by beating Glenelg on Sunday (3/4) by a final score of 29-24.
The PBA JV Girls (18-2) lost to Glenelg by a final score of 25-22 on Thursday night in the finals of the Mid-Maryland League Division IV tournament. They beat St. Johns and Oakdale to get to the final.
The PBA JV Boys (#5 seed) lost 42-25 to Folly Quarters in the semi-final round of the Mid-Maryland "A" Tournament. Their season is now over. The JV Boys advanced to the semi-finals with an exciting first round win against MSD (#4 seed) on Saturday (3/3) at the Maryland School for the Deaf (Class A tournament location).
The PBA Varsity Boys (10-8) lost to #5 seed Mt. Airy, 53-46, in first round play of the Mid-Maryland "A" Tournament play. Their season is now over.
The Poolesville High School Varsity Girls (17-6) lost to eventual tournament semi-finalist Surrattsville, 51-38, in the Regional Semi-Final. The Falcons beat Reginald Lewis, 59-26, in 2nd Round play of the Maryland State 1A South Regional Tournament.
The Poolesville High School Varsity Boys lost a heartbreaker on a last second buzzer-beater in their Maryland State 1A Tournament opening game.
PBA JV and Varsity Boys Mid-Maryland League Tournament page
http://www.fred.net/dcline/mmbball/mmtour2007.htmlPBA JV and Varsity Girls Mid-Maryland League Tournament page
http://www.fred.net/dcline/mmgirlsbball/mmtour.htmlPoolesville High School Girls 2006-07 Schedule/Results
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/poolesvillehs/athletics/Basketball/girls%20basketball.htmlPoolesville High School Boys 2006-07 Schedule/Results
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/poolesvillehs/athletics/Basketball/boys%20basketball.htmlPoolesville High School Boys Varsity League Line-up web site
http://www.leaguelineup.com/welcome.asp?cmenuid=1&url=tal&sid=164436458l
