The Warriors led from start to finish against the injury depleted Blazers on Monday night.
The Montgomery Blair Blazers (11-7) are starting to feel the effects of losing three of their starters to injury. It has been a tough pill for the Blazers to swallow, and it became even more difficult to digest when they lost by 14 to the Sherwood Warriors (9-8) on Monday night. Blair has lost senior Sarah McMillan to a torn ACL and juniors Gabrielle Smith and Johanna Lopez to concussions. McMillan and Smith are out for the season, but Lopez, who earlier this year eclipsed 1,000 career points, may return. The Warriors came out strong, opening the game on a 12-0 run. Blair scored its first point with 2:50 remaining in the quarter, but the Blazers would never lead in the ballgame, and trailed at the end of the first, 19-4. Blair picked up …
A controversy between coaches overshadowed Friday’s game at Gaithersburg High.
Friday afternoon the Montgomery Blair Blazers (11-6) arrived late to Gaithersburg High School to face the Lady Trojans (14-0), causing the start time of their game, an eventual 88-41 loss, to be pushed back. It is customary that during team introductions, coaches shake the opposing players’ hands. However, Blair head coach Erin Conley elected to skip over the tradition because, she said, she had arrived too late to the court to wish her opponents good luck. Her omission, however, seemed to cause a stir in the gym and anger from Gaithersburg coach Adrian McDaniel. Following the game however, he shot down that notion. “It was just a misunderstanding on both parts,” he said. “We talked and resolved it. She’s a great coach, and it was just a …
The Blazers were down 17-4 in the first period on Monday.
There were stretches in Monday’s game at Springbrook High School that Montgomery Blair hung with — and arguably outplayed — the three-time defending state champion Blue Devils. Unfortunately for Blair, those stretches occurred too infrequently to affect the outcome, as Springbrook picked up a 59-46 victory. “That’s kind of what’s been our M.O. this season,” Blair Coach Mark DeStefano said. “We play very competitively for stretches at a time, and then when there’s a chance maybe to make a play to put it over the top or for us to go from where we are to where we want to be. For a variety of reasons, that play escapes us.” Senior guard Enerio Jones scored a game-high 22 points to lead the Blue Devils (14-1 overall and 6-1 in Montgomery County…
Blazers and Cavaliers thrive while Knights and Gladiators struggle.
Two-thirds of the high school girls' basketball regular season are behind us, and the standings have started to shaped up in clearer fashion than earlier in the year. Blair, 10-4, 3-3 Montgomery 4A East, 3rd place The Blazers have played consistently strong basketball this year, but the 4A East is incredibly strong. Johanna Lopez and Myla Sapp pace their offense, but they may need a viable third option to really compete with the best in the division over the rest of the regular season and into the playoffs. Kennedy, 8-6, 5-1 Montgomery 3A/2A East, 2nd place Kennedy's overall record is mediocre, but their dominance in 3A/2A play has been remarkable. Next week's matchup with Blake will likely be a battle for first place. Northwood, 3-8, 3-3…
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Delante Gaskin has been among Blair's only consistent scorers this year.
For his outstanding 24-point effort against Paint Branch on Monday, Blair forward Delante Gaskin is this week's Takoma Park Patch Athlete to Watch. Gaskin has scored 20 or more points three times this season, but the 24 this week was his season high. He is currently averaging just under 14 points per game, which is nearly six points higher than Blair's number two man Tucker Canary (8.4 points per game). The Blazers play a tough Springbrook team tonight, which should be a test for Gaskin, who will have to deal with six-foot-six forward Demetric Austin, whose scoring numbers are on par with Gaskin's. To keep up with local sports, visit www.twitter.com/patchsportsmd.
Despite reaching 1,000 career points, Johanna Lopez's Blazers could not slow down the Panthers on Monday.
People close to the Montgomery Blair Blazers waited in anticipation for this moment to come. Junior Johanna Lopez entered Monday’s game against Paint Branch (a seven-point loss) just ten points away from reaching 1,000 for her high school career. Lopez scored eight in the opening quarter, after which Paint Branch (5-10) held a 15-12 lead, thanks in large part to their effective ball movement, dribbling, and driving. Led by junior Brigette Ocran, who scored a game-high 33 points, Paint Branch continued to score through their speed and ball movement in the second period, and led 26-21 at the half. Paint Branch Head Coach Dan Feher was thrilled with Ocran’s leadership throughout the game. “She’s a junior who didn’t expect to be in the …
1:58 pm on Tuesday, January 25, 2011
The Washington Post also posted the score of 67-60 for the box score in today's sports page. more ›
Lopez is just 10 points shy of 1,000 for her career at Blair.
Johanna Lopez is a special basketball talent. Lopez, a junior at Montgomery Blair High School, is averaging 19 points per game this year and is currently tied for eighth in scoring in the state. She is a leader both on and off the court for coach Erin Conley's Blazers. Note: Lopez is just 10 points shy of 1,000 for her career at Blair. Be sure to come out to Blair tonight when the Blazers host Paint Branch at 5:15 p.m., to watch Lopez reach her milestone. To keep up with local sports, visit www.twitter.com/patchsportsmd.
8:55 am on Monday, January 24, 2011
Johanna, I can't express enough how proud I am of you, I would have never thought this little girl I met 9 years ago would grow up to have game the way you do. Remember to keep your head up and continue to stay focus. Much Love K. Allen more ›
Blair beat Northwood by 30 on Friday.
Friday night’s game between the Northwood Gladiators (2-8) and the Montgomery Blair Blazers (10-3) featured two schools who share the same street outside, but whose teams are headed in opposite directions. The Blazers jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, taking the game by a final score of 74-44. Blair opened the game on a 17-2 run, led by juniors Johanna Lopez (17 points) and Myla Sapp (18 points) as well as the inside presence of Rose Kalala, who scored eight. Northwood finally stopped Blair’s run with a basket with 1:35 remaining in the first quarter. The Gladiators managed offense of their own in the second period, thanks to the accurate three-point shooting of junior Monique Harris, who finished with 16 points, including…
Shack is a junior transfer from a Detroit private school.
Justin Shack is just getting settled in. He learning his role and is finding his place among players who have been teammates for three or four years. Despite his adjustment, Shack, a junior, is making an impact. Shack moved from Detroit, where he was a varsity starting point guard, to Silver Spring in June knowing that he wanted to be a part of the Blair team. “This is a learning year for him,” Blair Coach Mark Destefano said. But even as he’s figuring out where he fits on the team, Destefano said Shack brings some skills to the table that have helped Blair in a few of its wins this season. “He’s fast,” Destefano said. “You can’t teach that.” Shack’s speed and ball handling skills make him a great partner to starting point guard Tucker …
The Blazers had control all night against the Colonels.
After being postponed 24 hours due to snow, the Blair Blazers (9-2) beat Magruder (1-10) on the road on Wednesday. The final score, 45-37, perfectly reflected the tone of the game, as Blair held a comfortable but not overpowering lead throughout the entire contest. Check out some snapshots of the game below. To keep up with local sports, visit www.twitter.com/patchsportsmd.
Jay Levy
4:13 pm on Saturday, February 5, 2011
I think the lede here is not clear as to who won and who lost. more ›