THE DIGITAL TOP 20: GIRLS BASKETBALL     January 15, 2008

1)  Seton Keough (15-1) (2 … up 1)
Had to beat SF to earn No. 1 – and did. The Gators grabbed the top spot with a 22-point TKO win over St. Frances as Asya Bussie scored 15 and B.J. Williams 13. They added a 24-point win over St. Paul’s as Arika Ullman scored 26. Keough faces challenges from Spalding and Mercy this week.
Next: vs Spalding on Friday, January 18

2)  Arundel (6-4) (3 … up 1)
The Wildcats trounced Chesapeake by 61 and beat Southern-AA by 12 as Sheronne Vails scored 23. They face two key Anne Arundel games this week: on Tuesday at Old Mill, which beat them last year, and at South River on Friday.
Next: @ Old Mill on Tuesday, January 15

3)  St. Frances (13-3) (1 … down 2)
The Panthers hit a rough stretch, losing to Seton Keough by 22 and Riverdale Baptist by 21. They also beat St. Mary’s, but by just 15, and handled Dulaney by 18. They are a different team without Kandice Green, who remains hobbled with an ankle injury.  SFA is on exam break until Jan 23rd.
Next: @ Spalding on Tuesday, January 23

4)  City (10-1) (5 … up 1)
The Black Knights beat Dunbar, handled Catonsville by 10 and then had a “quality loss” to Riverdale Baptist (5-0 versus Top 20 teams), 62-38.
Next: vs Banks on Tuesday, January 15

5)  Mount Hebron (13-0) (6 … up 1)
The Vikings beat Glenelg by 22 and Atholton by 20, proving that they are the undisputed top team in Howard. They have won by an average of 28 ppg this season. They are on exam break until Jan 23rd.
Next: vs Reservoir on Wednesday, January 23

6) Mercy (14-2) (13 …up 7)
The Magic had a 3-0 week, beating two ranked teams ahead of them in the process, earning a big jump up in the poll. Mercy beat Spalding by seven as Khadija Mitchell scored 20 and then McDonogh by three, as Carissa Shropshire led a rally with 10 points in 4th quarter, including a pair of big 3’s. They capped off the week with a 30-point win over NDP. Mercy faces a big road game on Sunday at No. 1 Keough.
Next: @ Seton Keough on Sunday, January 20

7)  Western (9-2) (4 … down 3)
The Doves beat Poly by 14 to start the week. Then in the Mayor’s Academy, they beat Dulaney 37-17, (2-2 after one quarter!) and then lost to No. 17 Catonsville, 61-51, dropping them down three spots.
Next: @ Douglass on Tuesday, January 15

8)  Winters Mill (12-0) (7 … down 1)
The Falcons dropped one spot despite winning and staying unbeaten, (due to strength of schedule and Mercy’s wins over ranked teams). They beat Urbana by 12 and they topped Century by 14 in a key match-up of undefeated Carroll teams, 52-38. Cassie Cooke (18) and Jordan Neville (14) combined for 32 points.
Next: @ F. Scott Key on Tuesday, January 15

9)  McDonogh (9-6) (9 … same)
The Eagles had easy wins over Roland Park and IND, but lost by three, 41-38, to Mercy after leading for most of the game but fading in the fourth quarter. Moriah Young scored 19 points in the loss.
Next: vs Notre Dame Prep on Wednesday, January 16

10)  Archbishop Spalding (13-4) (10 … same)
The Cavaliers began the week with a seven-point loss to Mercy, and then finished the week with a seven-point win over Towson Catholic on Saturday, as Janay Brinkley scored 24.
Next: @ Seton Keough on Friday, January 18

11)  Atholton (9-3) (8 … down 3)
The Raiders beat Oakland Mills by six as Elie Snyder scored 31, and then lost to Mount Hebron by 20 in a match-up of undefeated Howard teams. Atholton was within 10 in the final period but could get no closer. Snyder scored 14 in the loss.
Next: vs Long Reach on Wednesday, January 23

12)  South River (9-2) (14 … up 2)
The Seahawks beat Glen Burnie by four and then Severna Park by nine, in Anne Arundel league play. Ashley Wagner scored 18 in the last win. South River faces Arundel on Friday in a key league game.
Next: @ North County on Tuesday, January 15

13)  Catonsville (8-2) (17 … up 4)
After a league win over Hereford, the Comets faced two ranked Baltimore City teams in the Mayor’s Academy. They lost to City by 10, 61-51, and then beat Western by the same score, as freshman Zoey Whittingham scored 19 points. A close loss to No. 5 and a win over No. 4 earns them a bump up in the rankings.
Next: vs Woodlawn on Monday, January 14

14)  Oakland Mills (6-3) (12 … down 2)
The Scorpions lost to Atholton by six and then beat Wilde Lake by 28. Miriam McKenzie was on a scoring binge with 30 and 32 in the two outings.
Next: @ River Hill on Wednesday, January 23

15)  Towson Catholic (8-5) (19 … up 4)
Despite a loss, the Owls climb four spots – go figure. They beat a tough St. Paul’s team by eight as Gabrielle Styles scored 19, and then fell to Spalding, but by only seven points, as Tyler Hale scored 20. Strength of schedule, a close loss to No. 10, and losses from a number of other ranked teams helps TC move up.
Next: vs McDonogh on Friday, January 18

16)  Severn (12-3) (unranked)
The Admirals jump into the rankings, all the way to No. 16, with a big 48-44 win over previous No. 15 Old Mill, as Leah Cranmer scored 18. They also beat Pallotti twice, by 32 and 25. Taylor Wieczorek had a huge double-double of 20/20 in one of those.  Severn has only lost three games: one was to No. 12 South River by two points and another was to then-No. 17 River Hill by three points – Severn belongs in the Top 20.
Next: @ Bryn Mawr on Tuesday, January 15

17) Fallston (12-1) (unranked)
The Cougars jump back into the Top 20. They won a key battle of undefeated Harford teams, topping last week’s No. 20 C. Milton Wright by 10 points, 51-41. Jess Harlee scored 20 points and added 10 assists. The only blemish on Fallston’s record is an earlier loss to New Town.
Next: vs Bel Air on Wed Jan 15

18)  Dulaney (6-2) (13 … down 5)
The Lions beat Loch Raven in league play, and then dropped two at the Mayor’s Academy. Kudos for taking on ranked teams, but Dulaney showed that it needs more production from the backcourt to compete with Top 10 teams. They lost 37-17 loss to Western (2-2 after one and down 24-5 at half) and then lost to St. Frances, 51-23.
Next: vs Milford Mill on Wednesday, January 16

19)  Old Mill (8-2) (15 … down 4)
The Patriots beat Severna Park as Ciarra Lucas scored 18, and also beat Glen Burnie in Anne Arundel play, but lost to Severn by four. They face a big test on Tuesday versus Arundel.
Next: vs Arundel on Tuesday, January 15

20)  New Town (8-2) (unranked)
New Town jumped back into the rankings. It had two wins over Owings Mills and one over Overlea. Brittany Spencer was a consistent point-producer with 21, 21 and 25 points in those three wins. The two previous losses were to Digital Harbor and Frederick.
Next: vs Carver A&T on Wednesday, January 16

Who’s in:
Severn … beat No. 15 Old Mill
Fallston … beat No. 20 C. Milton Wright
New Town

Who’s out:
No. 16 River Hill … lost to unranked Reservoir
No. 18 Digital Harbor … lost to unranked Poly
No. 20 C. Milton Wright … lost to unranked Fallston

Others considered:
Century (9-2) … lost to Winters Mill
C. Milton Wright (8-2) … beat Bel Air and lost to Fallston
River Hill (10-3) … beat Marriotts Ridge and lost to Reservoir
Digital Harbor (7-4) … beat Edmondson, but had earlier loss to unranked Poly
Southern-AA (6-4) … beat Meade and lost to Arundel

Key games this week:

Tuesday, January 15:
No. 2 Arundel @ No. 19 Old Mill
Bel Air @ No. 17 Fallston

Friday, January 18:
No. 10 Spalding @ No. 1 Seton Keough
No. 2 Arundel @ No. 12 South River
No. 9 McDonogh @ No. 14 Towson Catholic

Sunday, January 20:
No. 6 Mercy @ No. 1 Seton Keough

Note:  The Poll was formulated after consultation with area coaches and informed fans, along with my personal knowledge of area basketball. Strength of schedule IS an important factor.  Our staff will be out in person covering numerous games throughout the season. However, to make it a better Poll, we welcome your comments and suggestions. Please e-mail to Mike Buchanan at:

mbuchanan@digitalsports.com