Loch Raven

By any measure, last night's Baltimore County 1A-2A League matchup between Catonsville and host Loch Raven figured to be a close game.Raiders forward Nicole Froman, however, figured otherwise.The sophomore scored a career-high 23 points -- hitting seven shots in a row at one point in the second half -- to lead No. 19 Loch Raven to a 54-44 win."I guess I was in a zone," said Froman, whose previous best had been 17. "We were all really up for the game. This was the game to prove who was the best team in our division [behind league-leader Towson]

The Loch Raven girls soccer team did everything that was needed to bring home the Class 1A state championship against Harford Tech on Saturday afternoon at UMBC Stadium. The Raiders got the all-important first goal from sophomore midfielder Kayla Toole late in the first half and then stayed persistent the rest of the way to make sure it would hold. The result was a 1-0 win over Harford Tech for the program's sixth state title and first since 2003. After the Loch Raven girls' victory, the Raiders boys defeated Pocomoke, 3-2 in overtime, at UMBC.

Slowed by fouls early, Loch Raven spent the first half of Saturday's Class 2A-1A girls lacrosse state semifinal searching for a little flow in its usually wide-open game. By early in the second half, the Raiders had taken command on the field at Broadneck, scoring five straight goals on their way to a 12-7 win over Queen Anne's. The Raiders (12-4), who have averaged 16 goals in their seven straight wins, face Winters Mill in the state finals Tuesday or Wednesday at UMBC. Loch Raven will be playing in its second state final in three years and seeking its first championship since 1995.

After the Loch Raven girls' victory, the Raiders boys defeated Pocomoke, 3-2 in overtime, at UMBC. It's the eighth time that the same school has captured state soccer titles. All season long in its impressive and improbable run, the No. 5 Loch Raven boys soccer team has found a way to score a goal when needed and defend valiantly when called on. That didn't change in Saturday's Class 1A state final game against Pocomoke at UMBC Stadium. Sophomore forward Jason Kim scored two goals, his second coming in the closing minute of the first overtime, as the No. 5 Raiders came away with a resilient 3-2 win that ended Pocomoke's string of four consecutive 1A titles.

Michelle DeJuliis scored seven goals and added four assists, leading No. 1 Loch Raven (15-0) over Dulaney, 21-12, yesterday in the Baltimore County girls lacrosse championship game.Amy Luttrell paced Dulaney (11-2) with five goals, and Kara Lipski added four goals and an assist.

Pikesville coach Tim Fowler pulled no punches in describing the magnitude of the 3-1 victory his sixth-ranked Panthers scored over host Loch Raven yesterday."

Baltimore County's magnet school program continues to grow.Loch Raven Middle School in the Towson area will become the county's second magnet middle school in September 1995. It will have three magnet programs, designed to offer students choice and attract those with similar interests from nearby middle schools. The school also will have a new name -- Loch Raven Technological Academy for Environmental Sciences, Performing Arts and Visual Arts.The first magnet middle school, Sudbrook, opens in September.

Mike Piccolo of North Harford picked a good time to score the first game-winning goal of his career.Piccolo scored on a penalty kick in the 42nd minute to give No. 4 North Harford a 1-0 victory over Loch Raven in the Class 2A North Region final last night at Hereford.North Harford (14-0-1), which also won a region title two years ago, advanced to the state semifinals on Friday against Oakland Mills, the South Region winner, at a site to be determined today.The Hawks came up with some good scoring chances in the first half.

When the pressure was on, so was Loch Raven.The second-ranked Raiders got hot when it counted for a 15-11, 15-12, 15-9 victory over No. 9 Catonsville in a Baltimore County 1A-2A League match last night at Loch Raven.Loch Raven (9-0, 6-0) outscored Catonsville (8-2, 7-1) by a 10-2 count for a come-from-behind victory in the first game.The Raiders scored the final seven points of Game 2 and closed out the match by scoring six of the last eight points in Game 3."You never know how a team's going to respond to pressure," said Loch Raven coach Carol McPherson.

Overlea turned on the heat early in the fourth quarter. Loch Raven, however, answered by catching fire.Loch Raven, sparked by Dane Elterman, hit eight of its last 10 shots and rallied for a 58-51 victory over visiting Overlea in a Baltimore County 2A-1A League game yesterday.Loch Raven (10-5, 9-2) led most of the game, but Overlea (10-4, 8-3) took a 40-39 lead on a layup by Gerald Palmer (team-high 13 points) with 7:03 left in the game. Loch Raven then hit five of six on a 12-2 run that gave it control.