Doves

Sixteenth-ranked Annapolis had the inside scoop last night and used it to end No. 6 Western's 34-game winning streak.The Panthers got 39 points from a towering trio of sophomores, 6-foot-2 bookends Jackie Edwards and Emily Dammeyer and 6-1 Kami Cottrell, en route to a 47-36 victory in the seventh annual Greater Baltimore Women's Basketball Mixer at the College of Notre Dame in Baltimore."

Many area coaches point to the annual Maryland National Guard Indoor Track Scholastic Games at the Fifth Regiment Armory as the best early indicator as to how their teams will fare in February's state championships.If that's the case, then the Western girls may soon have a golden chance to add some hardware to its trophy case.Medaling in five events, the Doves placed second at yesterday's prestigious meet, which featured over 60 schools, though not those from Montgomery County, which prohibits student athletes from competing on Saturdays if school was canceled on Friday.

Fishing is so productive it's difficult to realize that hunting starts Monday. Don't expect much with railbirds, but the shooting should be as hot as the fishing for mackerel and blues in much of the Chesapeake.Once again, it appears we have a bumper crop of dove throughout much of the state, and considering how poor much of the corn crop is because of the drought, there is considerable bushwhacking of crops to further entice the game. In addition, as more shooters turn to planting sunflowers, more doves fly into the fields.

Dunbar senior LaKesha Wills waited a long time to beat Western, and last night, she did her part to make it finally happen.Wills scored 21 points and had 15 rebounds to lead the No. 9 Poets to a 69-50 upset of No. 3 Western -- their first-ever victory over the Doves."

After a 15-point loss to Gwynn Lake in December dropped Western's record to 3-3, Doves coach Breezy Bishop held an intense hour-long meeting with her team in the locker room."

Even though the holiday season is over, third-ranked Western found itself in a very giving mood Friday night. Unfortunately for the Doves, Riverdale Baptist was more than willing to take. The Crusaders (13-5) built a 17-6 first-quarter lead and Western never fully recovered, dropping a 78-50 decision in the 14th annual Basketball Academy at Morgan State. The Doves (6-5) committed an uncharacteristic 27 turnovers and shot 10-for-22 from the free-throw line in the loss. "We rushed a lot of our passes, and we could have decreased the turnovers if we'd have come to the ball more," said Western guard Tenicia Spence, who led the Doves with 12 points.

Latia Few scored 28 points to lead No. 9-ranked Western to its third straight Baltimore City championship yesterday, but as usual, many others made key contributions.Five Doves scored in double figures as Western took a 14-point first-quarter lead and rolled past host Walbrook, 88-64. Joy Gorham added 19 points, Crystal Falline 12, and Lillian Drumgold and Stephanie Tolbert 10 each."That's the way we are," said Doves coach Artie Uhlich. "Somebody may kind of luck out and score 28 points, but we don't look for that.

Western's girls basketball team considers this "championship week," because the No. 2 Doves need to beat No. 7 Digital Harbor and No. 4 City to win their division and go on to play for a fourth straight Baltimore City championship. One down, one to go. Last night, the host Doves used a 13-0 run early in the third quarter to fuel a 20-point lead and hold off Digital Harbor for a 58-51 victory. Keirah Hicks began the run with back-to-back three-pointers and Ashle Craig scored the next seven points to boost the lead to 37-21.

Western's basketball team has knocked off Catonsville in the regional playoffs four times in the past five years. While the scores don't look that close, these wins never come easily for the Doves. Wednesday night, the No. 12 Comets led into the second quarter and stayed close into the third quarter before No. 10 Western's depth of talent and uptempo game took over en route to a 57-35 victory in a Class 3A North regional semifinal. The Doves (16-6) will be looking for their fifth straight region crown when they visit Poly, a 69-52 winner over Aberdeen in the other semifinal, in Friday's title game.