Junior Guard

Arlana Roland is the top player on the Bel Air girls basketball team, and Bobcats coach Calvin Skelton does not mind saying it. "When teams prepare for us, the first thing they decide is how they are going to stop Arlana," Skelton said of the 6-foot-2 junior forward-center. "And then they worry about the rest of it. Arlana is spectacular. She can do it all. She has already been a two-time All-Harford County pick." Roland averages a team-leading 12 points a game and is an excellent shot-blocker in addition to being a team co-captain with senior center Lydia Oliver.

North County coach Sally Entsminger captured the 300th win in her career when the Knights defeated Calvert, 44-25, in the consolation final of the Fred Stauffer Cap City Classic in Annapolis yesterday.Junior guard Stephanie Watts led all scorers with 14 and backcourt mate Caitlin Burns added 10 to help North County (2-5).After the game, Entsminger -- who became the third Anne Arundel County coach with 300 wins -- was presented with the game ball and a plaque from the Anne Arundel County Women Basketball Coaches Association.

And round one goes to Catonsville.In a prelude yesterday to Saturday's Baltimore County championship game, the No. 13-ranked Comets streaked past visiting Woodlawn, 65-54, to complete their regular season.Catonsville, which finished 15-0 in the league and 18-1 overall, received 17 points from senior guard Sam Adams and a well-rounded contribution of five points, eight rebounds, and two blocked shots from junior forward William Augustono.The Warriors, who will have to return the Comets' home court for the 12: 30 p.m. championship game, suffered their second consecutive loss out of 15 league games and dropped to 13-8 overall.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Maryland doesn't know much about Creighton, but one of the Bluejays' assistant coaches knows something about Maryland.Len Gordy was an assistant coach at Towson University from 1983-85, and had the misfortune of being on the wrong end of a lopsided score when Lefty Driesell got his 500th coaching win.Gordy was an assistant to Cliff Ellis at Clemson from 1985-92, when the Tigers went to three NCAA tournaments and he became familiar with...

James Lowe hit two free throws with five seconds left last night to give No. 18-ranked Northern an 84-83 upset win over No. 7 Mervo in City League action.The win was the seventh in eight games for the visiting Vikings (13-7).They led 42-38 at halftime, but the Mustangs closed the gap and took their final lead, 83-82, with 15 seconds left, setting the stage for Lowe. He finished with 21 points.Northern's Michael Scott led all scorers with 22 points. Mervo was led by junior guard Marcus Hatten's 21 points.

The second quarter wasn't perfect for St. Mary's yesterday -- but it was close.That's when the No. 3-ranked Saints started hitting on all cylinders, and the eventual result in Annapolis was a comfortable 77-47 win over No. 13 St. Frances.In the second quarter, the Saints shot 9-for-17 from the field and limited the Panthers to three field goals while forcing eight turnovers -- eight spectacular minutes.A five-point lead after the first period quickly turned into a 40-22 halftime lead, and the Saints never looked back in improving to 15-6 and remaining perfect in Catholic League play at 7-0. The Panthers fell to 13-6 overall, 3-3 in the league.

Will the real St. Mary's team please stand up?There's the one that lost back-to-back games against Roland Park and McDonogh two weeks ago, just after getting caught looking past Riverdale Baptist.And there's the other version, on display yesterday afternoon in Annapolis, that was simply overwhelming in a 72-50 win over No. 6-ranked Mercy in a Catholic League contest.Coach Harry Dobson, whose No. 3-ranked Saints improved to 13-6 overall and a perfect 6-0 at the league's midway point, believes he's found the answer.

COLLEGE PARK -- The Maryland Terrapins have spent the season making statements and winning games. They made a few more and won another in yesterday's 78-62 victory over the Virginia Cavaliers at Cole Field House.Most significantly, they proved they could rebound from their first loss after starting the season with a school-record-tying 11 straight wins. But in the course of its second straight Atlantic Coast Conference victory, Maryland demonstrated quite a bit more.The Terrapins showed they have somebody other than Keith Booth to get the offense jump-started.

St. Mary's coach Harry Dobson promised last week that his Saints would be ready when the Catholic League opened this week.Ready wasn't the word to properly describe St. Mary's fTC convincing 66-20 win over short-handed Seton Keough yesterday afternoon in Annapolis.The No. 3-ranked Saints (5-2) had it all working from the start, jumping to a 20-2 lead by the second quarter's midway point behind a relentless defense that set the tone for a balanced offense."Unbelievable," said Dobson. "The defense keyed it all, and that's all we worked on the last three practices.

The only available Coppin State player who didn't score last night pitched in with two rebounds, two blocks and a steal. All in three minutes.And all in good fun.Even freshman walk-on Joe Allen got in a few licks during the Eagles' 96-66 whipping of Howard at the Coppin Center, their ninth consecutive victory."

Sooners' B. Griffin entering NBA draft col. hoops Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin will give up his final two years of eligibility and head to the NBA after a sophomore season that ended with his being recognized as college basketball's top player. Griffin announced his decision Tuesday, saying it was time to take his game to the next level. Griffin, who helped the Sooners win 30 games for only the fifth time, led the nation with 30 double doubles and 14.4 rebounds while also averaging a Big 12-best 22.7 points.

boys basketball Player of the Year Brendan Bald, Severna Park The 6-foot-4 senior guard led the Falcons to a 16-7 mark with his all-around play. Bald, who will play at Vermont next year, had good range from the perimeter and an ability to get to the basket and finish strong. He finished the season averaging 20.3 points - tops in the county's public schools - and 6.8 rebounds per game. Bald, who was named the Most Valuable Player in the Anne Arundel County Senior All-Star Classic on March 18, played two seasons at Severna Park after transferring from Archbishop Spalding.

All season, St. Frances senior forward Terrell Vinson has found a way to make the important closing minutes of a tight basketball game his own. More proof came in yesterday's 38th Baltimore Catholic League championship game at Loyola College against a determined No. 9 Loyola team that simply wouldn't go away. Vinson had two key blocks in the final two minutes and hit three of four free throws in the last 10 seconds to lift the No. 2 Panthers to a 44-41 win that wasn't decided until Loyola senior guard Matt Rum's desperation heave from midcourt fell short at the buzzer.

COLLEGE PARK - After 31 seasons as a head coach, Gary Williams doesn't need to say much to make a point. Sometimes a simple shrug, or a chuckle, tells you all you need to know about the way he's thinking. Yesterday, when the Maryland's men's basketball coach was informed that his Terrapins players feel there is a greater sense of trust on the team than there was the previous season, Williams, 63, smiled, then feigned ignorance. "I have no idea what you're talking about," Williams said.

The top-ranked St. Frances boys basketball team knew exactly what to expect when it traveled to Mount St. Joseph last night. The No. 9 Gaels like to play disciplined ball with an emphasis on defense. The Panthers showed they could do the same. With senior forward Terrell Vinson scoring a game-high 19 points, a 2-3 zone that kept the Gaels uncomfortable on offense, and different players stepping up at key times, the Panthers came away with a sturdy 49-40 win. St. Frances improved to 11-1 this season and 5-0 in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference, while the Gaels (11-4)

The Arundel boys basketball team did just enough right to stay ahead of visiting Annapolis through three-plus quarters last night. In the final five minutes, the Wildcats did just about everything right to pull away for an 85-77 win over the Panthers in Gambrills. Led by a 22-point performance from junior guard R.J. Harris and a 14-point, 16-rebound effort from senior forward Auraum Nuiriankh, the Wildcats improved to 6-0 overall and 3-0 in Anne Arundel County in handing the Panthers (4-1, 3-1)

Kaleo Kina scored 21 of his 29 points in the second half to help host Navy rally to a 78-65 win over Texas-San Antonio last night. The Midshipmen (6-1) shot 84.2 percent from the field (16-for-19) in the second half to come back from a seven-point halftime deficit. Navy shot 71.4 percent (25-for-35) for the game, the fourth-best shooting performance in school history, and out-rebounded the Roadrunners (2-3) 22-12 in the second half. Kina, who was 9-for-11 from the field and 11-for-15 on his free throws, has scored 59 points in Navy's past two games.

With points coming from inside, outside and off the bench, and a strong defense, the No. 3 Arundel girls basketball team came away with a comfortable 68-54 win over No. 11 South River in Anne Arundel County action last night in Edgewater. The visiting Wildcats improved to 8-4 overall and remained undefeated in county play at 7-0 - also defeating fellow rival Old Mill earlier in the week. South River (10-3) falls to 6-1 in the league. Sophomore forward Sheronne Vails led the Wildcats with 20 points and added 18 rebounds, while junior guard Ashley Davis scored 12 points.

BOYS BASKETBALL Player of the Year Jeff Pettiway Joppatowne The point guard is adept at passing as well as shooting. He led the county in scoring and assists for much of the season, finishing with averages of 19 points and six assists. Pettiway also gave the Mariners a big assist with his on-court presence and was the catalyst to Joppatowne winning 17 games. Never losing his cool and always looking to lead, the 5-foot-9 senior is whom Joppatowne always looked to in times of trouble.

BOYS BASKETBALL Player of the Year Brett Burrier Winters Mill This senior forward raised his game to a new level for the Falcons by adding inside punch to his outside flair. Noted in past seasons mainly for his perimeter shooting, the 6-foot-5 Burrier this winter emerged as more of all-around threat, showing vast improvement in his play down low to average a Carroll County-best 20 points per game and rank among the county's leaders with 7.5 rebounds. He also shot 51 percent from the field, including a county-best 46 percent from three-point range, and even filled in as the team's back-up point guard for a month.