Carroll County basketball
Freedom and Littlestown, Pa. were the big winners in the newly formed Carroll County Area Boys Basketball League's postseason championship tournament.
Freedom (9-0 in the regular season) won three more times in taking the seventh-eighth grade divisional tourney.
It culminated that streak by beating Charles Carroll, 44-41, in the championship game.
The fifth-sixth grade divisional game saw New Windsor, which had placed only fourth in the regular season, knock off two teams and battle to the finals. There, however, New Windsor's dreams of championship ended, as it fell to Littlestown, 39-20.
Kyle Petry was New Windsor's leading scorer with 10 points.
New Windsor began the tourney with a 29-26 verdict over Mount Airy IV.
New Windsor center Jason Clinton anchored a strong defensive effort by clogging the middle and getting big rebounds. Guard Mike Landy also had a part on defense, hounding Mount Airy ballhandlers and stealing passes. Jeff Dowery and Kyle Petry paced the winners' attack with 10 points apiece.
New Windsor then had to battle back against a Mount Airy II team that led most of the game.
Mount Airy led, 18-10 at halftime, and 28-23 after three quarters. But New Windsor outscored its opponent, 11-4 in the fourth quarter to win, 34-32.
Dowery's three-pointer tied the game, 32-32, with a minute remaining. Then, with just 11 seconds left, he hit a rebound basket for the winning points. Dowery and Joshua Reese each scored 15 points for New Windsor. Matt Kershner led Mount Airy with 12 points; Bryan Lowry and Chase Mitchell each scored six.
In an early fifth-sixth grade division game, North Carroll, which finished second in the regular season with an 8-1 mark, battled back to beat Charles Carroll, 21-16.
Charles Carroll led 8-1 after the first quarter, and was still ahead, 8-6, at halftime. North Carroll, though, took control with an 15-8 spurt after intermission. Mark Campbell led a balanced North Carroll offense with four points. Charles Carroll's Jason Cross lad all scorers with 10.
Regular-season champ Mount Airy II beat Mount Airy III, 45-23, in another preliminary fifth-sixth grade game.
Chris Fink and Matt Kershner scored 16 and 14 points, respectively, for Mount Airy II (9-1 in the regular season). Steve Grabowsky scored seven points for Mount Airy III, and Sterling Eaton added six.
Seventh-eighth grade divisional champ Freedom opened the tournament with a 64-19 victory over Mount Airy III.
Matt Wilder scored 20 points for the winners, and Bryan Moody added 11. The two also contributed to the victory by controlling the boards.
New Windsor, however, almost brought Freedom's season to a end in the semifinal game.
It pulled to a 33-18 halftime lead. Freedom unleashed a second-half press that forced numerous turnovers, netted it numerous easy baskets and ate up the New Windsor lead.
Point guard Craig Rauser came off the bench in the second half. He and Nate McCullough were instrumental in the double-teaming Freedom press, stealing the ball numerous times and getting it to teammates. Wilder had 11 points for Freedom and Bobby Ward, eight.
Mike Null and Jason Meyers paced the New Windsor attack with 16 and 11 points, respectively. Meyers and center Steven Webb played excellent defense and were solid rebounders.
In the championship game, Freedom broke a 19-19 halftime tie and went on to top Charles Carroll, 44-41.
Freedom's Dave Bradshaw had a hand in several key steals late in the game, and chipped in with a big offensive rebound to keep his team ahead. McCullough had 11 points for Freedom, Wilder, seven, and Chas Smith, six.
Matt Whitestone led Charles Carroll with 12 points; Chris Mathias had 11. Mathias just missed a three-pointer at the buzzer that would have tied the game. Guard Derek Elliott played well defensively for Charles Carroll.
Charles Carroll beat Mount Airy II, 43-33, in its tournament opener. Mathias had 22 points for Charles Carroll and Whitestone, 11.
It then nipped North Carroll, 42-41, in an overtime game to qualify for the finals. Mathias's foul shot was the winning point.
Carroll men's basketball
* Unlimited A Division -- Sentinel Title nipped Now and Then Antiques, 82-80, to win the divisional postseason tournament championship.
Sentinel's Joe Novak led all scorers with 27 points, Rich Crosby added 22, and Jim Hersey, 18.
Bobby Briggs paced Now and Then with 23; Bobby Forenoff and Troy Warehime each contributed with 18.
In a preliminary game, S.F.A. knocked off Normandy Health and Fitness No. 2, 82-70.
Tom Magruder led the winners with 21 points. Terry Barnes and Paul Grier chipped in with 18 and 17, respectively. Normandy's Dan Lytwynee had a game-high 26 points and Jim Lupinek added 18.
Sentinel downed Action Refrigeration, 85-69, as Rich Crosby paced the winners with 27 points, and Jim Hersey tacked on 23. Joe Novak added 18 for Sentinel. Steve Lethbridge and Barry Angradi each scored 20 points for Action.
Now and Then nipped S.F.A., 89-88.
Bobby Briggs scored 21 points for Now and Then. Bobby Forenoff and Jeff Schmidt each popped in 19 for the winners. Tom Magruder and Paul Grier scored 20 and 19 points, respectively, for S.F.A.
Sentinel prepped for the finals by topping Wilson's Sporting Goods, 71-57.
Rich Crosby lad Sentinel with 24 points; Joe Novak and Jim Hersey each chipped in with 20. Jimmy Dorsey scored 23 for 1993 A Division champ Wilson's, which had not lost a game in two years until this semifinal. Mark Carroll added 15 for Wilson's.
* Unlimited B Division -- The Travelers went undefeated in winning both the regular and postseason titles.
They captured the postseason tournament championship by topping Four Seasons, 97-55, in the title game. Travelers' Mark Carr paced all scorers with 27 points; Rick Jenkins supported with 21 and Jack Schulze added 18.
The brothers duo of Bill and Tom Butz each scored 15 points for Four Seasons. Four Seasons had opened the tournament by topping Champs, 67-58.
The Butz brothers each scored 23 points for the winners in that game. Eric Johnson had 18 for Champs, and Jeff Kalb, 16.
The Travelers prepared for the finals by beating Random House, Rick Jenkins and Mark Carr each scored 20 points for the Travelers. Random House's Randy Walkling scored 19.
* 30-and-over men -- Lehigh won its fourth 30-over divisional postseason championship in five years in beating Eckenrode Insurance, 81-66, in the title game.
Roy Adelsburger and Rick Hill paced the winners' attack with 22 and 19 points, respectively.
Scott Kohr had 17 points for Eckenrode, and Mac Kantruss added 15.
Lehigh opened by knocking off last year's tourney champ, Normandy Health and Fitness I, 68-59. Hill had 21 for Lehigh, which won this year's 30-over division regular-season title with a 9-1 record.
Normandy's Dan Lytwynee led all scorers with 24 points, and teammate Bryan Williams added 19.
Gymnastics
* 10-12 girls -- Perna Gymnastics Club's Courtney Prentice, Erin Graf and Aimee Willet had qualifying all-around scores in March 20's Level VI Sectional Tournament in Columbia.
The three, who needed all-arounds of at least 30.00, earned berths in the state competitions.
Prentice had 8.10 on parallel bars (fourth), 8.55 on balance beam (fifth) and 31.65 all-around.
Graf had a 8.25 on vault and 30.25 all-around.
Willet scored 8.60 on vault (sixth), 8.85 on floor exercises (fourth) and 30.55 all-around.
Numerous Perna Gymnasts competed in USAIGC Invitational at Burke, Va., on March 20.
Competing in Level VIII, Cindy Reese scored 8.40 on vault, 8.20 on floor and an all-around of 29.50.
Emily Lindner had 7.80 on vault, 7.70 on beam and 28.90 all-around.
Becky Furhman scored 8.60 on vault and beam, 8.70 on floor and 32.90 all-around.
At Level IX, Kristen Totten scored 8.80 on beam, 9.30 on floor and 34.85 all-around.
Jessica Groszkowski had 8.60 on beam, 8.70 on floor and an all-around of 33.60.
Shannon Wright scored 8.70 on vault, 8.60 on floor and 32.70 all-around.
Erica Ebaugh scored 8.65 on vault, 9.10 on floor and 31.85 all-around.
Competing at Level X, Tanya Snyder had 8.10 on vault and 8.40 on floor before retiring with an injury.
Melissa Denhardt had 9.00 on vault, 9.10 on floor and 34.30 all-around.
Jenn Groszkowski scored 8.90 on vault and floor, and 33.30 all-around.
Carroll women's basketball
* 10-12 girls -- Spangler Construction closed its regular season by beating first-place Bob's Variety, 41-38. The loss was Bob's first of the season.
Pam Lindquist had 11 points for Spangler and Colleen Gohegan chipped in with 10.
Denean Powelson scored 13 for Bob's, which finished the regular season at 7-1.
Lehigh beat Jack's Lawn Mower, 36-28. Sandy Jankievicus paced the winners with 12. Darleen Cass scored 11 for Jack's.