Gators

Reservoir gained the inside track to the Howard County title Friday afternoon with a 2-1 win at No. 5 Atholton, the defending Class 3A East regional champion. The Gators (10-0) are now the last undefeated team in the league. Atholton lefty Jon Thews (seven strikeouts, seven hits), making his first start of the season, and Reservoir's T.J. Pipik (four strikeouts, five hits) staged a classic pitcher's duel, each going the distance. The game ended when Thews tried to score the tying run from second on a single to left by Jordan Thompson, but was thrown out at home by left fielder Ben Summers.

Second-ranked Archbishop Spalding's Emily Weiman and Seton Keough's Robi Zimmerman struggled Wednesday to find dry patches on their uniforms to wipe their pitching hands in a rematch of last season's Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference championship. Even though a steady, cold rain refused to give the players a reprieve, both pitchers still managed to remain in control for much of the game. The umpires finally decided the rain was too big of a factor and called the game after five innings with the score tied at 4 at No. 6 Seton.

MEN Jordan Wolf, Duke Freshman, Wynnewood, Pa., attackman Wolf recorded five goals and four assists in two games last week and currently ranks second on the Blue Devils in goals (12) and points (18). He scored four goals on five shots in then-No. 7 Duke's 14-9 victory over then-No. 9 North Carolina on Thursday night. Three days later, Wolf posted one goal and four assists in an 18-10 rout of Dartmouth. The four assists and five points established career highs for Wolf, who was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Week.

Reservoir freshman Mason Kilcarr had never won a tournament title, but that all changed Saturday night at the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association 4A/3A East Regional wrestling tournament at Wilde Lake. The 103-pounder was the first wrestler on the mat for Reservoir, the defending regional and state champion, and he made quick work of his South River opponent, earning a pin in 45 seconds. Kilcarr's first regional crown set the tone for his team's run to the title.

When Monique Bassett was in grade school near New Orleans, she would regularly scribble her personal goals on a sheet of notebook paper and tape them on her bedroom wall. Early on, her goals were directed mostly toward academics -- straight A's, perfect attendance and honor roll. When she reached junior high and developed a passion for basketball, a more long-term goal was posted: becoming a basketball coach. "I've always taken a lot of pride in the game," said Bassett, who played DivisionI ball at Bethune-Cookman.

Whenever Archbishop Spalding and Seton Keough meet, you're going to see a lot more defense than offense. Sunday afternoon, the No. 1 Cavaliers used strong inside defense against No. 2 Seton Keough's superior height to come away with a 49-36 victory, their second this season over the host Gators in the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference. Spalding forwards Shaquilla Curtis, Sherae Swinson and Camille Calhoun — none taller than 6 feet — countered 6-foot-4 Liz Brown and strong 6-foot-1 Achiri Ade, holding them to 21 combined points.

No. 1 Archbishop Spalding (17-2, 7-0 IAAM A Conference) at No. 2 Seton Keough (15-4, 8-1) When : Sunday, 3:30 p.m. Key players to watch Archbishop Spalding : Maggie Morrison, Sr., G (9.5 points, 4.9 assists); Shaquilla Curtis, Sr., F (10.3 points, 7.6 rebounds); Brya Freeland, Sr., G (8.7 points, 2.9 assists); Camille Calhoun, Jr., F (11.4 points, 8.4 rebounds) Seton Keough : Achiri Ade, Sr., F (16 points, 11 rebounds); Liz Brown, Sr., C (12 points, seven rebounds)

Taylor Cummings McDonogh, forward, junior • Two-year varsity player brought dominating strength, speed, athleticism up front • Scored 18 goals, added 10assists for No. 1 Eagles • Provided game-winning goal in overtime to defeat Bishop O'Connell in McDonogh Invitational championship game • Regarded as one of top lacrosse players nationally in her class, she has committed to...

For the Reservoir girls soccer team, the second half of Tuesday's night's Class 3A East regional title game at Howard County rival River Hill carried a lot of mixed emotions. First came excitement, with a goal from Megan Jackson that produced a lead. Next came nerve-racking minutes with the Hawks urgently pressing to tie. Finally, in the closing minutes, Amanda Jackson provided relief. With the Jackson sisters providing the offense and a collectively gutsy performance on defense, the No. 9 Gators came away with a 2-0 win over No. 6 River Hill that sends them to the state tournament for the second straight year.

No. 11 Reservoir upset No. 1 Wilde Lake, 1-0, on Friday in a boys soccer Class 3A East regional semifinal. Jake Coccio scored the only goal of the game for the Gators (12-3-1) with 22 minutes remaining in the second half on a pass from Peter Park. The host Wildecats appeared to take the lead in the first half, but one of their players was ruled to have been offside, negating the goal and leaving the game scoreless at halftime. "When we got in at halftime, we talked about what worked and what didn't work," Reservoir coach Paul Linkins said.