Western Girls

The top-ranked Western girls and No. 7 Carver boys won the championships at the Baltimore City track and field title meet Saturday at Mervo.  Western repeated as champion, winning nine events and finishing with 195 points to outlast Poly (161) and No. 7 Digital Harbor (113). The Doves got a big performance from Ajada Thomas, who won the long jump, triple jump, high jump and ran on the victorious 800-meter relay. Carver had an easier time, posting 183.5 points and easily beating Poly (102)

The Western girls and Digital Harbor boys both had little trouble in repeating as champions in Tuesday night's Baltimore City indoor track championship meet at the Fifth Regiment Armory. Western captured its third consecutive title, finishing with 107 points to beat out Northwestern (80). The Doves now have won 21 of the last 22 city championship meets. For the boys, Digital Harbor (100.25 points) easily beat out Poly (67) for a second straight title. Genae Butler played a big role for Western, winning the 800 meters and running on the Doves' victorious 1,600 and 3,200 relay teams.

The Western girls have started another streak. The fourth-ranked Doves won 18 consecutive Baltimore City indoor track and field championships before losing two years ago. The Doves bounced back to win last year and captured a second consecutive title at this year's meet Wednesday night at the Fifth Regiment Armory. Carver's boys had won three in a row, but Digital Harbor ended that streak with its first city title since 2007. Western employed the same formula it has used for years -- balance and depth.

When all of us left the Fifth Regiment Armory very late Wednesday night after Baltimore City's Indoor Track and Field Championships finally ended, a lot of questions still remained.  Because of a timing system malfunction that led to computer and scoring glitches, some events needed to be checked over again. The No. 4 Western girls and Digital Harbor's boys both had big leads and were awarded the first-place trophies, but the final scores weren't known since the results to certain events needed to be re-checked.

There were different stories for each of the four teams that won championships in the final day of the state track meet Saturday at Morgan State. The No. 2 Western girls needed to rally late to repeat as the Class 3A champions. For the boys, Oakland Mills took Class 2A for its first title in six years and 13th overall. No. 3 Reservoir slowly pulled away to win its first state title (Class 3A), and No. 5 Carver quickly ran away from its Class 1A opponents to win an outdoor title for the first time.

Western's Raiya McKnight doesn't get nervous at the free-throw line, and the No.14 Doves needed her nerves of steel to fight off No. 11 Dunbar in overtime Tuesday night. McKnight scored all 18 of her points in the second half and overtime, including 10 of 12 from the free-throw line, as the host Doves made a tight Baltimore City DivisionI race tighter with a 74-66 victory against Dunbar. "It's a huge win," she said. "We're finally coming into our own. Dunbar was undefeated [in the division]

Western's Tenicia Spence stood on the perimeter, urging her team to stay focused as it clung to a one-point lead against Poly in Wednesday night's Baltimore City Division I girls basketball championship at Baltimore City Community College. Spence had shot her team back into the game, and emotions were high as the eighth-ranked Doves inched closer to avenging a loss on their homecoming to the No. 7 Engineers. Spence finished with 24 points, and Western pulled away with a 45-37 victory in front of an energized overflow crowd.

Spectators and contestants left Coppin State College on Tuesday after the Baltimore City Girls Swimming Championships under the impression that City College had upset Western for the team title. However, after a computer error in compiling the scores was discovered, Western was crowned champion.Originally it had been announced that City had won the 12-program event with 397 points, followed by Western's 358 and Poly's 192. But the computer scoring system had calculated only the individuals placing from first through sixth, not first through ninth and points from preliminary heats earlier in the day.With the correction, Western finished with 409 points, followed by City's 397 and Poly's 233. City's score remained the same because the Knights did not have any finishers lower than sixth, so they picked up no additional points after the error was discovered.

Mervo's girls grabbed three spots (2-3-5) in the low hurdles, but it wasn't enough to overhaul Western as the city indoor track championships came to a belated conclusion at the 5th Regiment Armory yesterday. Ashaley Davis of Western won in 9.1 seconds, the 10 points raising the Doves' point total to 131, good for their seventh straight title. Mervo finished with 127. In the boys' 55-meter high hurdles, Clarence Briscoe of City won by an eyelash over Jon Albright of Northwestern (7.80 to 7.84)

The Western girls have started another streak. The fourth-ranked Doves won 18 consecutive Baltimore City indoor track and field championships before losing two years ago. The Doves bounced back to win last year and captured a second consecutive title at this year's meet Wednesday night at the Fifth Regiment Armory. Carver's boys had won three in a row, but Digital Harbor ended that streak with its first city title since 2007. Western employed the same formula it has used for years -- balance and depth.

Varsity Silver out as Western girls basketball coach Western girls basketball coach Tiffany Silver was told Friday by principal Alisha Trusty that she and her staff would not be returning. Silver, a Western alum, said she wasn't given a "particular reason" for her release, "just that we weren't coming back, that they were going in a different direction pretty much," and said she was shocked and "crushed. " In six seasons, Silver had a 126-29 record with the Doves and led them to five Baltimore City championships, five regional championships and three state title-game appearances.

Western's Tenicia Spence stood on the perimeter, urging her team to stay focused as it clung to a one-point lead against Poly in Wednesday night's Baltimore City Division I girls basketball championship at Baltimore City Community College. Spence had shot her team back into the game, and emotions were high as the eighth-ranked Doves inched closer to avenging a loss on their homecoming to the No. 7 Engineers. Spence finished with 24 points, and Western pulled away with a 45-37 victory in front of an energized overflow crowd.

The Western Tech girls were having fun in the moments after the state indoor track meet ended Monday at the Prince George's Sports and Learning Complex. Laughing and joking, the eighth-ranked Wolverines spent several minutes taking pictures to celebrate repeating as the Class 1A state champions. Carver boys coach Stephen Kimes and Century coach Tony Griner also wore smiles, but they were more of relief. Even though Century swept the Class 2A state titles and Carver took the Class 1A boys crown, they had a tougher time earning their championships.

Western's Raiya McKnight doesn't get nervous at the free-throw line, and the No.14 Doves needed her nerves of steel to fight off No. 11 Dunbar in overtime Tuesday night. McKnight scored all 18 of her points in the second half and overtime, including 10 of 12 from the free-throw line, as the host Doves made a tight Baltimore City DivisionI race tighter with a 74-66 victory against Dunbar. "It's a huge win," she said. "We're finally coming into our own. Dunbar was undefeated [in the division]

1 Margin of victory for the Western girls in the Class 3A state title meet last winter. The Doves beat Damascus, 51-50. 2.5 Century's margin of victory over North Hagerstown in last winter's Class 2A state title meet. The Century girls edged North Hagerstown, 47.5-45. 259 Points the McDonogh boys scored in winning the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association team title last winter.

Boys' Latin battled back to win the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association B Conference volleyball championship, 3-2, against visiting St. Paul's on Friday by taking the fourth set, 28-26, and the final set, 15-13. The Crusaders beat the Lakers twice this season and were undefeated entering the championship match. Cross country Baltimore City Championship: The Edmondson boys and Western girls each successfully defended their titles in the Baltimore City cross country championship.