North Carroll

Mount Mat Madness VIII gets under way at the Community College of Baltimore County-Catonsville Friday, while the Franklin Invitational also begins today at the Reisterstown school. Both tournaments run into Saturday night with 45 teams in the mix. At the Franklin Invitational, the Indians head coach, Mike Slaughter, said his team hopes to make its guests uncomfortable this year for the first time in a long while. "The last time we actually won our tournament was somewhere around 2003 or 2006," said Slaughter.

THURSDAY FIELD HOCKEY REGIONAL PLAYOFFS QUARTERFINALS CLASS 4A NORTH No. 15 Dulaney 9, Kenwood 0 Chesapeake-AA 6, Glen Burnie 0 North County 4, Old Mill 0 CLASS 4A EAST No. 1 Severna Park 5, Annapolis 1 No. 2 South River 10, North Point 0 OTHER SCORE No. 6 Broadneck 6, Arundel 1 CLASS 4A WEST No. 4 Westminster 6, Churchill 3 CLASS 3A NORTH No. 13 Hereford 5,...

— Arundel junior Elyse Smidinger didn't want to think about any scores heading into the final few holes of Wednesday's state golf championships at Maryland. Smidinger knew she had been distancing herself from the rest of the field, but she wanted to stay focused on each shot in the final round. In the end, she could breathe easy by winning the girls title with a two-day total of 143, six shots ahead of Atholton's Bryana Nguyen. Smidinger also become the third Arundel female golfer in the past 11 years to win a state championship.

— The North Carroll softball team did all they could to stay close in Friday night's Class 2A state title game against undefeated Easton. But the No. 14 Panthers had never seen a pitcher as dominating as the one that stood 40 feet in front of them — Shelby Taylor. After the the Warriors from Talbot County scored three runs in the first inning, they left the rest to their hard-throwing senior standout, Taylor, who threw a one-hitter in a 6-0 win that completed a 26-0 season and secured the program's fifth state title.

CLASS 2A NO. 14 NORTH CARROLL (17-7) VS EASTON (25-0) WHEN: Friday, 8:30 p.m. OUTLOOK: North Carroll earned a return trip to the state final and with a 7-1 victory over No. 6 Glenelg. The Panthers, looking for the program's seventh state title, were led by junior pitcher Samantha Stitely, who limited the Gladiators to four hits and improved to 13-7 on the season. Catcher Holly Buckel led the offense this season with a .403 batting average with two home runs and 24 RBIs entering the state tournament.

The junior midfielder led the Cavaliers (8-2) to three wins last week, totaling 12 goals and seven assists along with winning 83 percent of the faceoffs he took. In a 16-11 victory over Marriotts Ridge on April 19, McCarty, a three-year starter, scored three goals and added two assists. In a 14-5 win over Francis Scott Key the following day, he recorded four goals and three assists before closing out the week with five goals and two assists in a 15-8 win over North Carroll on Thursday.

Holly Buckel North Carroll, catcher, junior Buckel had a breakout season last year, as she was a major factor in helping North Carroll reach the Class 4A state championship game. Buckel batted .433 with six doubles, 20 runs and 11 RBIs in 23 games. Kimberly Dorsey Franklin, infielder, sophomore Dorsey hit .439 with three home runs and 17 RBIs, and did not commit an error playing third base. Adrienne Gebele Broadneck, catcher, junior Gebele was a steady force behind the plate for the top-ranked Bruins and batted .490 with two homers and 22 RBIs.

The opening minutes of Friday's Class 2A state semifinal gave the North Carroll boys basketball team an early indication of what it was up against in dealing with talented Gwynn Park. The Yellow Jackets from Prince George's County showed quickness with an immediate steal, strength and athleticism underneath the basket, and good aim from the perimeter. For the Panthers, who played hard and never backed down, it was simply too much. Mike Hemsley scored 16 points and Brandon Ford added 15 as the Yellow Jackets rolled to today's title game with a 69-36 win over the Panthers.

The opening minutes of Friday's Class 2A state semifinal gave the North Carroll boys basketball team an early indication of what it was up against in dealing with talented Gwynn Park. The Yellow Jackets from Prince George's County showed quickness with an immediate steal, strength and athleticism underneath the basket and good aim from the perimeter. For the Panthers, who played hard and never backed down, it was simply too much. Mike Hemsley scored 16 points and Brandon Ford added 15 as the Yellow Jackets rolled to Saturday's title game with a 69-36 win over the Panthers.