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Walbrook girls basketball coach Pete Connally notched his 300th career victory with the Warriors' 54-40 win over Dunbar Wednesday. Connally, who led the Warriors to national prominence in the 1980s, has a 300-57 career record in 18 seasons."

For new Mount Hebron coach Pat Becker and some of her players, last night's 54-41 victory over 15th-ranked Poly meant more than simply starting the season on a winning note.It signaled a triumphant beginning to the post-Dave Greenberg era.In their first game in 16 years without Greenberg -- now the coach at Centennial -- the host and 13th-ranked Vikings set out to gift-wrap a win for their new mentor on her 45th birthday."Everyone expected us to not be too good because we lost a couple players and our coach," said point guard Alisha Mosley.

Unbeaten Westminster survived its first major scare of the season last night against an exceptionally quick Poly team in the championship game of the Poly girls tournament.The Owls (7-0) needed a 16-2 run in the third quarter to open up a 14-point lead and hold off the hustling Engineers for a 63-53 victory.Poly (5-3) had battled Westminster to a 25-25 tie early in the third quarter before the visitors went on the 16-2 tear to take command of the game.The Engineers then used a full-court press most of the fourth quarter to create a lot of problems for Westminster, but tournament MVP Beth Lister and Cassandra Conklin came through with several big baskets down the stretch to help the Owls pick up the win.Lister scored six points in the fourth quarter to finish with a team-high 20 points, and Conklin racked up 10 points in the final period to give her 14.Conklin had to sit out most of the third quarter after collecting her fourth foul with 10 seconds gone in the third, but she came back strong in the fourth quarter.

McDonogh freshman point guard Vicki Brick not only scored 29 points but had 19 steals, five assists and eight rebounds to lead McDonogh's 56-43 upset of No. 17 Mount Hebron last night at the Comets Christmas Class at Catonsville High.The victory earns the Eagles (5-3) a meeting with No. 1 Seton Keough (7-1) in tonight's second-round game at 6:30.At 8:15, No. 7 Catonsville, a 30-18 winner over Mount de Sales, will meet No. 18 Howard (3-1) in the other half of the winners' bracket. The Vikings will play Mount de Sales at 4:45.

Russell NealRecreation workerServices for Russell Neal, who set up games and passed out balloons, lollipops and other treats for the Baltimore Department of Recreation and Parks, will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at the Ames Memorial United Methodist Church, Baker and Carey streets.Mr. Neal, who was 65 and lived on Duvall Avenue, died Monday at the Brighton Manor Nursing Home of complications from diabetes.nTC He was nicknamed "Ham" because of a childhood fondness for the food.He worked for the department since the early 1960s, first as a truck driver and then with the Office of Adventures in Fun. He retired about two years ago.Virginia S. Baker, the director of the office, said that in addition to setting up games and working with children, Mr. Neal was good at recruiting teen-age volunteers.

Monique Jennings hit two free throws with two seconds left as Severn defeated Lansdowne, 56-54, last night to advance to the championship game against host Chesapeake at 1 p.m. today in the Chesapeake-AA Girls Holiday Tournament.Katie Graw had 17 for the Admirals. Shannon McGarrigle led the Vikings with 17. Lansdowne trailed by as much as seven points with two minutes to play, but took the lead with 50 seconds to play, 53-52.In the other first-round game, Sandra Norris scored 16 as Chesapeake cruised past Annapolis Area Christian, 61-21.

Juniors Lyndra Littles and Notiesha Womack combined for 44 points to help Archbishop Carroll of Washington defeat fifth-ranked Western, 75-61, yesterday in the quarterfinals of the Panther Invitational at St. Frances. The loss was the first of the season for the Doves (3-1), who got as close as six in the fourth quarter but ultimately could not overcome foul trouble and 22 turnovers. Sophomore guard Ebony Davis scored a team-high 18 points for the Doves, who will play seventh-ranked Milford Mill in the consolation round today at 3. The Millers dropped their quarterfinal to Forest Park of Virginia, 59-50.

Abell, Minnie E. ON November 29, 2002 MINNIE E. ABELL devoted wife of the late Orville S. Cavey and the late John R. Abell, loving sister of Vivian Dietz and Hammond Bosse and the late Harry Bosse and Virginia Cooney. The family will receive visitors at the Singleton Funeral Home, P.A. 1 Second ave, S.W. (at Crain Hwy) Glen Burnie from 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 P.M. on Monday. The Funeral Ceremony will be held on Tuesday at 11 A.m. in the Funeral Chapel. Interment Loudon Park Cemetery. Published in the Baltimore Sun from 12/1/2002 - 12/2/2002.

For the first time this season, Westminster faced an early critical problem.With 4:05 left in the first quarter and leading by five points, the Owls had to play without their leading scorer and rebounder, Beth Lister, who went to the bench after picking up her second foul. But that problem existed only briefly.Sophomore forward Jill Ibex scored four points, made two steals and handed out an assist in an 8-0 run as Westminster pulled away from Patterson.Ibex scored 14 of her career-high 18 points in the first half as the No. 12 Owls toppled Patterson, 87-34, in the first round of the Poly girls basketball tournament yesterday.