Harry Dobson has spent much of his time picking out a starting lineup and picking up the pieces.
The St. Mary's coach was supposed to be watching his team pile up the victories.
This hasn't been an ordinary season for the Saints, which means they haven't dominated the Catholic League and remained near the top of the metro-area rankings. And the reasons are both complex and confidential.
Rather than assuming their role as Anne Arundel County's best girls basketball team, the Saints have driven Dobson to making jokes about needing a large bottle of aspirin after the season. It's been one headache after another.
Let's begin with the losses. The seventh came last Wednesday, when Mount de Sales sprang a 62-59 upset and avenged a 64-48 defeat on Dec. 19. That was St. Mary's fourth setback in the league, an oddity for a program that has won the last three regular-season championships and two of the last three tournament titles, and lost a combined two league games over the past three years.
The Saints dropped four of their first seven games, but that had more to do with the stiff competition. They were beaten by fewer than 10 points by Prospect Hall and Fallston in the Greater Baltimore Women's Basketball Invitational Mixer, and St. Frances eked out a 43-39 win on Dec. 14. They also split two games in the Lynchburg Tournament, but ran off five wins in a row and appeared back to normal.
Then came a 10-point loss to the Institute of Notre Dame on Jan. 4, setting the tone for what has been an unsettling new year. A week later, the Saints lost to Seton Keough, 54-53, then won three straight -- including a 62-53 triumph over St. Frances -- before being ambushed by Mount de Sales.
They led the Sailors by six points with 1:50 left, but couldn't make their free throws. A three-pointer by Amy Buck with about seven seconds remaining gave Mount de Sales the win.
"She's never shot a three-pointer in her life. She doesn't even practice them. And it hit nothing but net," Dobson said, laughing.
As for the treacherous schedule, Dobson said, "A lot of these girls want to play college basketball and I keep telling them it doesn't do any good to play teams that you know you're going to beat before the game even starts. We don't have many games like that."
The problems haven't been confined to the court. Senior point guard Erin Hon, who was expected to step in for all-time assists leader Bridget Smith, was dismissed from the team shortly before Christmas. And All-Metro forward Annetta Davis, the Saints' leading scorer (17.1) and rebounder (12.5), was benched for two games, including the defeat to IND.
Dobson has been hesitant to discuss either matter, not wanting to worsen a bad situation.
The loss of Hon, who tried unsuccessfully to juggle her time between basketball and soccer, forced senior Kris Miller's move from shooting guard to the point. As a result, her scoring average has dipped from 15 to 11, though Dobson said her shooting percentage remains the same.
Heidi Moldenhauer, a transfer from Annapolis Area Christian School, won the starting job, but has battled injuries much of the season. She was struck in the eye in the first quarter against Mount de Sales and gave way to Miller, who took only eight shots.
"Our turnovers this year are unbelievably high compared to previous years," said Dobson, whose team is 12-7 overall, 5-4 in the league, going into tomorrow's game against much-improved Archbishop Spalding.
Despite the turmoil, Dobson said it's not too late to salvage his fourth season as coach, though no amount of victories will erase his frustration.
"It's been a difficult season," he said.
The Saints, coming off a 25-3 season, began the season ranked No. 5, but have dropped eight places. They have six regular-season games remaining, and hope to regroup in time for the tournament.
"We'll be trying to win every game and get the highest seeding we can get," Dobson said. "I think we get up for St. Frances more than anybody, so I told them from now on to just pretend we're playing St. Frances."