Wilde

Anytime a team beats four-time state champion Wilde Lake, 35-7, one would expect the winning coach to be glowing.And South Carroll coach Gene Brown, whose Cavaliers produced that result in the opener against the Wildecats at Howard High yesterday, was smiling after the game. But he had reservations."It feels good to beat a class program like Wilde Lake, but I'm not quite happy," he said.The reason? His offense managed only 103 yards -- 80 passing and 23 rushing -- and that left him a little worried.

Wilde Lake kept its hopes alive for the regular-season tennis title with a 7-2 victory yesterday over visiting Mount Hebron."They played aggressively and with confidence," said Wilde Lake coach Ron Shelton, whose team lost to the Vikings, 5-4, in the third match of the season. "They played the best they've played in a while."Said Mount Hebron coach Casey Crouse: "It was very obvious that they were a better team today."Centennial moved into first place in Howard County with a 11-1 mark. Wilde Lake, which plays at Centennial next Wednesday, and Mount Hebron, which plays at Centennial May 4, are 10-2.

Phil Chenier scored eight of his game-high 22 points in the third quarter, as host Wilde Lake built a 10-point lead and went on to beat Mount Hebron, 75-64, in a Howard County League game last night.Chenier, the Wildecats center and son of the former Bullets' great, helped Wilde Lake break open a one-point game at the half, with a 14-5 spurt to start the second half, giving it a 44-34 lead midway through the third quarter. Chenier scored all four of his baskets on lay-ups, and teammate Randy Miller added four points during the stretch.

With Dundalk holding a one-point lead and driving early in th fourth quarter, Wilde Lake's 27-game winning streak seemed to be in jeopardy.But the third-ranked Wildecats stopped Dundalk, and on the next play Seth Willingham threw an 81-yard touchdown pass to Craig Butler.That's how quickly the game can turn around for Wilde Lake, which hasn't lost since the 1989 state playoffs. The two-time defending state champions extended their winning streak to 28 after yesterday's 22-8 victory over host Dundalk (1-1)

Wilde Lake must control the tempo if it hopes to beat Snow Hill of Worcester County in the state Class 1A boys basketball semifinals at 3 today in College Park.Second-seeded Snow Hill (23-2) is an up-tempo, high-scoring team that features four players who average in double figures.Third-seeded Wilde Lake (13-10) also must stop Snow Hill senior point guard Terrance Palmer, who averages 11.9 assists, 15.6 points and five rebounds and has a team-high 86 steals. He has 739 career assists."Palmer is excellent," Wilde Lake coach Paul Ellis said.

A lot of tension built up before Wednesday's basketball showdown between Hammond and Wilde Lake.Both teams expect to challenge Oakland Mills' three-year reign as league champions. But both the Bears andWildecats stumbled Monday by losing their league openers.And both had overall losing records when they faced off in what looked like a must-win situation for both squads at Hammond on Wednesday night.They each allowed the tension to destroy their games in the first half, playing sloppy ball and having trouble with shooting and ball-handling.

Last season, Wilde Lake coach Kelly Rosati guided the youthful Wildecats to Cinderella status and the Class 1A regional final. With the graduation and loss of only two starters, Wilde Lake can forget about sneaking up on the county this year."

A fire yesterday at a house on Thicket Lane in Columbia's Wilde Lake village caused an estimated $15,000 in damage and sent one occupant to the hospital.Mona El-Atabaney, 44, was taken to Howard County General Hospital where she was treated for respiratory distress and released, a hospital spokesman said.El-Atabaney's husband, Ahmed El-Haggan, and their four children, ages 18 months to 19 years were not injured in the fire.The blaze is being investigated, but fire officials believe it was an accidental cooking fire.

A man snatched a purse from a Wilde Lake village woman at the Village Green last week, Howard County police reported.Police said Dorothy Rodbell, 58, of the 10500 Block of Catterskill Court had just parked her vehicle near the NationsBank Thursday afternoon when a man grabbed her purse from her right shoulder.He took out her wallet, threw the purse away and ran.The thief was described as black, 5 feet 7 inches tall, in his early 20s with a muscular build.He was wearing a black T-shirt with a brightly colored emblem, dark shorts and a cap.POLICE LOG* Town Center: The Mall in Columbia parking lot: A red 1987 Chevrolet Iroc Camaro with Maryland license plates RGW-279 was stolen between 1 p.m. and 6:20 p.m. Thursday.

Wilde Lake coach Dave Nesbitt usually doesn't smile much early in the season, but the No. 6 Wildecats had him beaming after their season-opening 3-1 victory against Bel Air yesterday.Two goals by slick sophomore Dan Solee were reason enough for Nesbitt's joy. Solee was playing his first high school game.But a rebuilt defense also looked capable, holding the Bobcats -- expected to be the strongest team in Harford County this season -- scoreless until the final two minutes. By then the entire second Wildecats team and the third-string goalkeeper were playing.