March 12, 1995|By John W. Stewart
GIRLS COACH OF THE YEAR
* Valerie Cooper, Bel Air -- With five holdovers from a 5-13 team, there were indications this year's edition likely would win more games, but not after the Bobcats started 1-13. From Jan. 12, however, the team won 10 of its last 12, reversing earlier losses to North Harford and Joppatowne in the process, and only losing to Fallston and C. Milton Wright. At 11-11, it was the sixth seed in its region, then upset third-seeded Parkville and second-seeded Franklin (both on the road), before bowing to Wright in the regional final. As with any first-year coach, it took awhile for her to install her system and get the players to believe in themselves and in what she was teaching. Once these potential obstacles were overcome, however, the players appeared more comfortable in tough situations and their level of play, especially their scoring, improved dramatically.
GIRLS CO-PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
* Erin Updegrove, C. Milton Wright -- She picked up the Mustangs (especially after the midseason transfer of junior standout Miranda James) and carried much of the load, as the team reached the state semifinals, its first such appearance. She finished as the leading scorer in the metro area at 23.0. She added averages of 10.9 rebounds and shared the team high in assists at 2.6. She had team-leading shooting marks of 47 percent from the field and 56 percent from the foul line. In three regional games, she averaged 23.7 points and 15 rebounds, and shot 50 percent from the field. She is a repeat first-team selection.
* Lori Heffley, Fallston -- Another repeat selection, she was the architect of the Cougars' second successive sweep of county teams en route to a 21-1 season entering the state tournament. She thrived on distributing the ball, hitting the open player, and, when opposing players slacked off, scoring from outside or -- seemingly her patented shot -- the 10-footer from the baseline. She averaged 11 points and a county-high 5.2 assists as a fourth-year starter.
GIRLS TEAM AT A GLANCE
* Brandi Barnes, Joppatowne -- With averages of 19 rebounds and 20 points, she was the leading rebounder and among the top six scorers in the metro area. She is a repeat first-team selection.
* Candy Credito, Fallston -- A three-year starter and repeat first-team choice, she led her team in scoring and rebounding with respective averages of 11.6 and 9.3, plus 79 blocked shots.
* Jenny Weber, Fallston -- Another three-year starter for her team, she epitomized its balance (five starters with scoring averages between 8.2 and 11.6, and total steals between 50 and 99) with her scoring, rebounding, assists and defense. She averaged 10.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists, and had 74 steals and 26 blocked shots. Such was the overall team superiority, that the starters often did not get much, if any, second-half playing time.
PICKING THE TEAMS
The Baltimore Sun 1994-95 All-Harford County boys and girls basketball teams were selected by John W. Stewart after consulatation with staff writers and area coaches.
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ALL-HARFORD COUNTY GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAM
Co-Players of the Year: Erin Updegrove, C. Milton Wright; Lori Heffley, Fallston
Coach of the Year: Valerie Cooper, Bel Air
First team
Name, School, Position, Class
Brandi Barnes, Joppatowne, Center, Junior
Candy Credito, Fallston, Center, Senior
Lori Heffley, Fallston, Guard, Senior
Erin Updegrove, C. Milton Wright, Forward, Junior
Jenny Weber, Fallston, Forward, Senior
Second team
Name, School, Position, Class
Erica Adams, Joppatowne, Guard, Senior
Erin Lesh, C. Milton Wright, Guard, Sophomore
Rachel Simon, Fallston, Guard, Junior
Karen Tiedemann, Fallston, Forward, Sophomore
Jean Tyrrell, Bel Air, Guard, Senior
Britney Whitehurst, John Carroll, Forward, Sophomore
Honorable mention
Suzanne Akers, Harford Christian; Keya Atkins, Joppatowne; Courtney Benner, Fallston; Jennifer Fischer, Harford Tech; Becky Gasendaffer, Harford Christian; Jackie Hinson, Bel Air; Lisa Maly, Joppatowne; Heather Pyzik, John Carroll; Anne Sappington, C. Milton Wright; Jessica Schrader, John Carroll; Lynn Wilkinson, Bel Air; Melinda Virts, North Harford.
