THE FIRST TEAM AT A GLANCE
* Amber Clutter, South Carroll, Sr., G -- Calm, cool, collected and talented. That best describes Clutter on the basketball floor. She brought so many things to this strong South Carroll team that it would take a term paper to describe them. The most obvious Clutter attributes were her many clutch three-point shots that not only picked up her team on the scoreboard but seemed to lift her teammates to greater heights. If all else failed, the Cavaliers could turn to Clutter to launch one of her missiles. The point guard had an uncanny method of shooting the threes from her hip but it was effective. In a 56-40 victory over Paint Branch in the 3A West semifinals, Clutter hit two three-pointers in the first quarter to soften up the defense a little for Nicole Spencer to dominate inside. Clutter finished with 14 points, five assists and four steals in that game. When Spencer got hurt in the 3A West championship game (60-41 loss) against eventual state champion Walt Whitman, it was Clutter who kept South Carroll in the game until the third quarter with three three-pointers. She finished the season with an average of 8.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 steals.
* Melissa Gettemy, South Carroll, Sr., F -- This never-say-die athlete played hurt a lot this season but never sacrificed her aggressive style of play that included going on the floor for the ball and diving out of bounds to make saves. Defense and hustle were her trademarks, and she was brilliant on defense against Linganore's Cara Consuegra Jan. 27 at South Carroll in a 69-52 victory. Gettemy held the sophomore to eight points in a win that virtually clinched the Central Maryland Conference title for South Carroll (12-0 and 22-2 overall). Few players have stopped the lightning-quick Consuegra in her two seasons. But Gettemy loves to play defense and took it as a personal challenge to stop Consuegra. Gettemy was the epitome of unselfishness for this closely-knit team, often saying she didn't care how many points she had as long as the team won. She finished with an average of 7.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.6 steals to make first-team All-County for the second straight season.
* Jill Ibex, Westminster, Soph., C -- One of the most fundamentally sound players anywhere, Ibex rarely made mistakes and was known for her ability to make key baskets for the Owls. When Westminster needed a basket most with 31 seconds left and the score tied at 52 in the 4A West semifinals against Sherwood, it was Ibex who took a 12-foot jumper. She missed that one but it was Ibex who had tied the game at 52 on a short jumper with 1:08 remaining and she finished with 18 points to lead Westminster in a disappointing, season-ending loss to the Warriors. The only thing that held Ibex back at times this season was foul trouble, but it was obvious this 6-foot youngster has an exceptional future ahead of her. She started with four seniors for the Owls, and was willing to help set up her more celebrated teammate Beth Lister for shots this season. However, Ibex still managed to finish with 10.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.1 blocks and 1.1 steals a game. It was quite a year for the girl who could do a little bit of everything for the 19-5 Westminster team.
* Beth Lister, Westminster, Sr., F -- There were times this season when Lister could score points in bunches and take over games. She loved to run the floor for layups, prompting the opposition to wonder what a 6-footer was doing beating them down court. Lister played the game with emotion, and staged an exciting duel with South Carroll's Nicole Spencer for Player of the Year honors in the county until Spencer took over down the stretch. Spencer was dominant in South Carroll's two wins over Westminster. Still, Lister wound up leading the county in scoring with 19.2 points a game. She also averaged 9.3 rebounds, 1.6 steals, 1.4 assists and close to one block a game. The only way that opponents stopped Lister was with double teams and getting her into foul trouble. In the 53-52 loss to Sherwood in the 4A West semifinals, Lister was in foul trouble the whole game and was limited to six points. It was a tough way for Lister to end her high school career, but there is little question that this volleyball and basketball player will be playing one of those sports or both for some collegiate team.
* Lindsey Vosloh, South Carroll, Soph., G -- Her teammates called her "Superwoman" and she played like that on defense most of the time. It was interesting to see just how much Vosloh intimidated the opposition with her speed and quickness when she was able to catch players from behind on promising fast breaks. Paint Branch from Montgomery County often found out just how much speed Vosloh had when she wrecked havoc with their running game in a 56-40 South Carroll victory in the 3A West semifinals. On offense, Vosloh stepped right in at the difficult point guard position and did a superb job against Westminster when Amber Clutter got into early foul trouble. Vosloh did it all at the point, breaking the press with her dribbling ability, using her height to see over players to get the ball to the open man and putting up an occasional jump shot to keep the Owls' defense honest. There is no telling how many points a game Vosloh could average if she ever decided to shoot more often. But she preferred stealing the ball from people and dribbling around and through opposing players. Her final stats only tell a little of what Vosloh is all about. She wound up with averages of 4.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 1.5 assists.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: NICOLE SPENCER
* Nicole Spencer, South Carroll -- It will be a long time before Spencer's performance against Westminster at South Carroll this season will be forgotten. It was supposed to be a close game between the two best teams in the county, but Spencer turned it into a personal showcase, scoring 33 points, getting 15 rebounds and four steals in a 62-42 romp over the Owls. That game virtually solidified a second straight Carroll County Player of the Year award for the senior who is headed to Brigham Young University, where she hopes to make the basketball team as a walk-on. Spencer went on to average 17.0 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.7 steals a game and led the Cavaliers to 22 straight wins and a 22-2 record. Spencer had the misfortune of injuring her left knee early in the second quarter of the 3A West Regional championship game against eventual state champion Walt Whitman. South Carroll was still in the game when Spencer left with the injury, but Whitman ran off to a 60-41 victory with Cavaliers' inside force on the sidelines. She had scored 28 points in a dominating performance against Paint Branch in the 3A West semifinals. There always will be a lingering thought around South Carroll that this team just might have won the state 3A title if Spencer had not gotten hurt. There is no question she is one of the best on and off the court to play at the school in its 28-year history.
COACH OF THE YEAR: SKIERSKI
F
* Al Skierski, South Carroll -- Make no mistake about it, Skierski had the best talent in the county this season and he knew what to do with it. He guided the 22-2 Cavaliers to the Central Maryland Conference championship, ending Linganore's four-year reign, and the Carroll county title. The only losses this season came to eventual state 2A champion Hammond in the first game of the season and to eventual state 3A champion Walt Whitman in the final game of the season that just happened to be the 3A West final at Whitman. With just two more regional points, South Carroll would have been top-seeded in the tough 3A West Region and it would have played Whitman at South Carroll for the right to advance to the states. Many people believe the Cavaliers could have beaten Whitman in Winfield, especially if Nicole Spencer had not injured her knee. This was a special South Carroll team, compiling the best record ever at the school and having the talent to make a strong run at the second girls state title in the history of South Carroll (1977-78 South Carroll girls own the only state title). Skierski took three returning seniors (Spencer, Amber Clutter and Melissa Gettemy) and teamed them with super sophomores Ce Wagener and Lindsey Vosloh to get a team that wore down most opponents. He also used Erin Nauyalis and Carrie Tamburo often enough off the bench to keep them sharp in case they were needed.
PICKING THE TEAMS
The Baltimore Sun 1994-95 All-Carroll County Girls Basketball Teams were selected by Bill Free after consultation with staff writers and area coaches.