COACH OF THE YEAR
* Kelly Storr, Wilde Lake -- After the Wildecats fell apart in the playoffs a year ago, Storr changed her approach to the season. Instead of looking to the long term, she helped her players focus on one game at a time. The change worked and the Wildecats ended up winning their first state championship, 56-46, over Southern of Garrett County. They also improved their record from 9-13 to 17-7. "We had no plan and that probably worked out better than in the past," said the fourth-year coach, who was assisted by her husband Don Storr. "Before, we always knew what we had coming in. We knew what we had to work with and we set goals. This year, we didn't do that. Last year, we thought we were going to be in the playoffs and do great things, go all the way, everything, but we didn't have the chemistry." This year, the Wildecats developed that chemistry even with five freshmen on the roster. They focused only on their next opponent and were competitive in almost every Howard County game, moving from sixth to fourth in the league. The Wildecats also overcame a midseason stumble and the loss of two players who quit the team. After beating Mount Hebron in mid-January, the Wildecats played poorly in the second half of a loss to Hammond and then fell to Centennial, but Storr brought them back. "We just started building all over again," said Storr, a science teacher at Harper's Choice Middle School. "The playoffs were just the roll we needed. We started realizing we should do it, we could do it and we would do it. Everything just came back."
FIRST TEAM AT A GLANCE
* Tameka Harrison, Hammond, 5-9, Sr. F/G -- A second-team pick last year, Harrison stepped up her game this season, especially with her outside shooting. Coach Joe Russo didn't think he had a long-range threat on this team, but Harrison set a school record for most three-pointers in a season with 32, almost double the old mark of 17. Harrison averaged 13.7 points a game and became the fifth player in Hammond history to go over 1,000 points, finishing her career with 1,017. She shot 48 percent overall and 54 percent from three-point range while averaging 5.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.5 steals. Harrison held the Golden Bears (23-3) together as they struggled with some early-season changes, and they finished their second straight year unbeaten in Howard County and champs in Class 2A. "Tameka was really the leader of this team," said Russo. "Her shooting was so much better, especially her three-pointers. She really put a lot of close games away for us when she would come down and hit that late three."
* Mona Jackson, Howard, 5-9, Sr., F/G -- The best athlete on this team, Jackson finished her career as Howard's all-time leading scorer with 1,412 points. She finished second in the county in scoring with a 21.1 average while leading the Lions (16-9) to their Class 3A regional final. Jackson also averaged 9.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 3.4 steals. Shooting 43 percent from the field, she hit 30 percent from three-point range. Some of her best games came in the clutch, including a 26-point, 11-rebound effort against Mount Hebron in the regional final and a 32-point effort in a late-season win over Centennial that eventually clinched a playoff spot for the Lions. "Mona's biggest contribution was not necessarily her stats but her leadership and the example she set on the floor," said coach Craig O'Connell. "This year, she was determined to be as good as she could be and I believe she did that."
* Kish Jordan, Centennial, 5-10, Sr., F -- A powerful force inside, Jordan helped the Eagles go from a 2-20 team to 11-11. She led Howard County in scoring with 22.3 points per game while shooting 63 percent from the field. A transfer from Harrisonburg High in Virginia, Jordan finished her high school career with 1,910 points. That scoring ability was the main factor behind the emergence of an otherwise inexperienced team as a factor in county competition. "She made us a competitive team a lot sooner than we would have been," said coach Dave Greenberg. "Kish is such a tremendous offensive force and she has such an instinct for the game." Jordan also averaged 13 rebounds and 3.6 steals per game. She signed early and will play at James
Madison next year.
* Tiki Nicholson, Hammond, 5-6, Sr., G -- The four-year veteran had a flair for the dramatic and she never showed it better than in the state championship game. Her falling-down 35-footer with 55 seconds left all but clinched the Bears' third state title in four years. She averaged 13.4 points, scored 25 in the 57-51 title victory over Fallston and 18 in the semifinal romp over Parkside. An All-Metro pick last year, Nicholson became only the fourth player in Hammond history to score 1,000 points, ending her career as Hammond's all-time leading scorer with 1,230 points. A sensational defensive player, she averaged 4.6 steals a game. She also had 7.1 rebounds and 4.8 assists. "Tiki's a money ball player," said coach Joe Russo. "She can play under pressure and she's the one you want to go to if the game is on the line. Even in the locker room before the [state championship] game, she was overheard by a coach telling the other girls, 'We are not gonna lose this game even if I have to guard every person on the floor myself."
* Kellye Townsend, Hammond, 6-0, Jr., F -- A consistent performer for the talent-laden state champs, Townsend quietly dominated the inside. A second-team selection last year, she was third on the team in scoring, contributing 13.7 points a game while shooting 42 percent from the field. Many of those points came from her strong rebounding ability. For the second straight year, she set a record for most rebounds in a single season. With 345 rebounds (13.4 average), Townsend smashed her old mark of 263. She also totaled 35 blocks and 51 steals. "She's a real work horse in there," said coach Joe Russo. "Kellye was probably one of the most steady players in the county this year. She played every game, she played hard and she was a big factor in the state playoffs."
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: ALISHA MOSLEY
* Alisha Mosley, Mount Hebron, 5-6, Jr., G -- The Vikings' poinguard did not have a bad game all year. Averaging 19 points a game, she guided the Vikings (18-8) to second place in Howard County and to the state Class 3A final four. While every game was a big game statistically for Mosley, her best efforts came in the playoffs, including 31 points in a 59-47 win over Howard in the regional final and 32 in a 70-68 overtime loss to Bladensburg in the state semifinals. "In the last game, no one could say she didn't do everything in her power to help us win," said Vikings coach Pat Becker. "She never disappointed me all year and she amazed me in some situations. She doesn't let down. She's an extremely poised player. She wants the ball, she takes the ball and she makes the shot."
Three times this season, Mosley hit the winning shot in the final five seconds of a game. She shot 40 percent from the field and contributed 4.6 assists and 6.7 steals per game. She also set four single-season school records, including most steals in a game (14), and already ranks eighth on Mount Hebron's all-time scoring list with 715 points. "I think Alisha Mosley is sensational," said Howard coach Craig O'Connell, after his team fell to the Vikings in the regional final. "We tried everything to stop her. I've never seen a player -- boy or girl -- who could bump into two defenders, muscle past them, shoot the ball off the glass and score."
PICKING THE TEAMS
The Baltimore Sun 1994-95 All-Howard County Girls Basketball Teams were selected by Katherine Dunn after consultation with staff writers and area coaches.