Meter

Varsity boys basketball Mount St. Joseph downs Sidwell, 59-55, to win Gonzaga Classic In a defensive struggle, No. 1 Mount St. Joseph defeated Sidwell Friends, 59-55, on Sunday in the championship game of the Gonzaga D.C. Classic at Smith Center. The first half saw a remarkable swing of momentum, with the Gaels outscoring Sidwell 22-7 in the first quarter before Sidwell (8-1) outdid Mount St. Joseph 22-3 in the second quarter. The high scorer was Josh Hart of Sidwell with 37 points, breaking the tournament record with a total of 100 points.

The human fish from Rodgers Forge was not supposed to be the star of the 2012 London Olympics. American Ryan Lochte was expected to break out of Michael Phelps' shadow, and in the run-up to the games, one of Mr. Phelps' other teammates publicly criticized his work ethic. And when the games began, it looked like the doubters might be right. After his stunning, eight-gold-medal performance in Beijing in 2008, Michael Phelps looked flat and listless in his first final of the Games, the 400 individual medley, an event he had once dominated.

Hale Bullen Annapolis, senior Bullen is coming off a tremendous cross country season that was capped with a victory in the Class 3A state championship meet with a time of 16 minutes, 19.5 seconds. He has blossomed into one of the state's top distance runners. Vince Ciattei Perry Hall, senior In the fall, Ciattei won the Baltimore County championship and the Class 4A North regional title in cross country before finishing third in the tough Class 4A state championship meet.

Analyst Brian Billick and play-by-play announcer Thom Brennaman delivered smart, smooth and informative coverage of the Ravens' victory over the Dallas Cowboys Sunday on Fox. The entire production - from Laura Okmin's sideline reports to the myriad and sharply focused angles from which the cameras closely followed key plays - was so vastly superior to what Ravens fans usually get with second- and third-string CBS Sports crews that the telecast felt...

As spending on Maryland's gambling expansion nears the $50 million mark, The Sun is introducing a new feature to its Maryland Politics page: the Casino Spend-o-Meter. The interactive graphic will allow devotees of Maryland political excess to track at a glance the amount of money being shoveled out the door by the ballot committees on either side of Question 7, which would allow a new Prince George's County casino and permit table games there and at other Maryland casinos. The referendum pits two casino-backed groups against each other: FOR Maryland Jobs and Schools vs. Get the Facts: Vote No on 7. The "for" side is financed mostly by MGM Resorts International, the prospective operator of a "destination resort" casino at National Harbor.

Paralympics Long finishes with five golds, seven medals Jessica Long , who grew up in Middle River, won her fifth gold medal at the London Paralympics, breaking her world record in the women's 100-meter freestyle S8 with a time of 1 minute, 5.63 seconds Thursday. Long, who also two silver medals, finished 2.44 seconds in front of Great Britain's Heather Frederiksen . The 20-year-old Long led from the start to lower her own world mark by 0.43 to 1:05.63, with Great Britain's Heather Frederiksen second.

Laurel Park Jazzy Idea captures Jameela in record time Owner-trainer Edwin Merryman 's Jazzy Idea swept past the leaders in the deep stretch Wednesday and set a course record in the $100,000 Jameela Stakes, the opening-day feature of the Laurel Park fall meeting. Ridden by Luis Garcia and sent to post at even money against eight other Maryland-bred fillies and mares, Jazzy Idea completed the distance over the firm turf in 1 minute, 7.45 seconds to better the mark set by Chasin Tiger in 2007.

Paralympics McFadden 1st in preliminary round of 800 meters T54 Tatyana McFadden (Atholton) won Round 1 of the women's 800 meters T54 at the London Paralympics on Tuesday, finishing in 1 minute, 47.66 seconds. She will compete in the final today. Women's swimming: Jessica Long , formerly of Middle River, won the silver medal in the 100 backstroke S8. Long surged from third place at the halfway mark and finished in 1:18.67. Earlier in the day, she won the heat in 1:21.75.

Paralympics NDP's Meyers earns bronze in 100 freestyle Becca Meyers of Notre Dame Prep and Loyola Blakefield Aquatics rallied to win a bronze medal in the women's 100-meter freestyle S13 at the London Paralympics on Sunday. Meyers, 17, who was born profoundly deaf and has Usher syndrome, finished in 1 minute, 1.90 seconds, which was 2.34 behind gold-medal winner Kelley Becherer of Boston. Meyers was in sixth place after 50 meters with a split of 30.43. More women's swimming: Swimmer Jessica Long , formerly of Middle River, finished fifth in the final of the women's 50-meter freestyle S8. Long, 20, who had both lower legs amputated before age 2, finished in 31.71 seconds, which was 0.58 behind gold-medal winner Mallory Weggemann of Minnesota.