Zone Defense

Fifth-ranked John Carroll used a mix of zone defenses to try to stifle No. 4 Mount St. Joseph and its explosive junior forward, Kameron Williams, in Friday night's crucial Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference and Baltimore Catholic League game. The strategy worked for three-and-a-half quarters, before the Gaels began to pick up the pressure and eventually took control. After forcing its third consecutive overtime game, Mount St. Joseph dictated play in the extra period and escaped with a 49-46 victory.

The Lake Clifton boys basketball team has something special going on these days. It starts with a flustering zone defense, continues with responsible work on the boards and is rounded out with unselfish play on offense. The No. 5 Lakers had each facet working at a high level against No. 13 Poly on Friday, particularly in a dominating first half that sent them to a comfortable 61-45 home win over the Engineers. The Lakers (16-2) won their ninth straight game and improved to 6-1 in Baltimore City's Division I. Just how good are things going for them?

When: Friday, 5:15 p.m. Coaches: Sam Brand, Poly; Herman "Tree" Harried, Lake Clifton PLAYERS TO WATCH Poly: John Crosby, So., G; Chas Brown, Sr., C; Darrion Stokes-Graham, Jr., F. Lake Clifton: James Boone, Sr., G; Aaron Parks, Sr., G; Rodney Hawkins, Sr., F. Outlook: Both teams are coming off big wins on Tuesday. Lake Clifton won its eighth straight with a convincing 75-61 victory over No. 10 City, and Poly had a thrilling 87-86 double-overtime win against No. 4 Patterson.

Today's preview of Towson is the second installment of a week-long series taking a look at each of the seven Division I men's programs in this state in order of their finish from last season. Check back Wednesday for a preview of UMBC. The Sun's lacrosse preview is slated to be published on Feb. 17. Overview: The Tigers' 3-10 record was humbling and matched the program's worst mark since 2000. Towson went 1-5 in the Colonial Athletic Association, finished sixth in the seven-team conference, and failed to qualify for the league tournament for the second time in four years.

I didn't know that Maryland could win an ACC game playing the way it did in beating Wake Forest Wednesday night. I'm not sure that first-year coach Mark Turgeon did either. After playing what Turgeon thought was his team's best all-around half of the season in taking a 40-24 lead into its lockeroom at halftime, the Terps lost their offensive rhythm and defensive intensity yet still managed to win their and Turgeon's first ACC game. It certainly helped playing a team that, like Maryland, is still trying to figure things out under second-year coach Jeff Bzdelik.

LARGO - The last time a Baltimore-area team captured the prestigious IAABO Holiday Girls Basketball Tournament, now in its 39th year, was 13 years ago. Aberdeen changed that Wednesday night - and did so rather decisively in the championship game against Wise from Upper Marlboro. In a title game featuring undefeated teams, the No. 1 Eagles proved far dominant at both ends of the floor, rolling to an 82-44 win at Prince George's Community College. Senior center Brionna Jones, who was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, led an efficient offense with 30 points, and a trapping zone defense was too much for the Pumas (7-1)

After Arundel quarterback Cooper Hibbs used a no-huddle offense to put together scoring drives on his team's first two possessions Thursday night, third-ranked Old Mill adjusted by getting out of its zone defense and using multiple blitz packages to lock him down. The Patriots then put the ball in the hands of their best playmaker, Rob Chesson, and took control, scoring seven consecutive touchdowns en route to a 47-10 victory before an estimated 3,000 at No. 5 Arundel. Chesson had 233 yards on 34 carries with five touchdowns as Old Mill solidified its top spot in the Class 4A East rankings and made itself the lone undefeated team in Anne Arundel County.

Junior midfielder Colin Briggs scored five goals and Virginia's zone defense stifled Maryland as the Cavaliers won their first national title since 2006, 9-7, on Monday at M&T Bank Stadium. Sophomore attackman Matt White added three goals for Virginia, and sophomore midfielder Nick O'Reilly pitched in a goal and three assists. Senior attackman Grant Catalino had two goals and an assist for Maryland. Despite the presence of a local team, the announced attendance for the game was just 35,661.

Virginia's resilient Cavaliers keep reinventing themselves through injury and mishap this season. On Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium, they rattled Denver with a suffocating zone defense and an almost flawless first half to take a 14-8 victory in an NCAA Division I men's lacrosse semifinal. In a year when even some of their own fans had written them off, the Cavaliers advance to Monday's championship game for the first time since 2006. They will face Maryland, a 9-4 winner over Duke in Saturday's second semifinal.

• Former Calvert Hall player and current Boston Cannon Kevin Buchanan has signed a multi-year endorsement deal with Brine. "Brine is an iconic brand within the lacrosse industry," Buchanan said. • Add Penn coach Mike Murphy to the list of those would like to see the Ivy League tournament continue. The tournament is in the second year of a two-year trial run. A vote whether to continue the tournament is expected this summer. "It's great in every possible way for everybody involved," Murphy said.