An interesting boys basketball game is set for Tuesday night in Annapolis, where No. 7 Glen Burnie comes calling on the host and rejuvenated Panthers.
Glen Burnie has established itself as the county's top boys public school team at 10-1, with the only loss by 71-59 at Magruder (10-2), which is ranked No. 3 by The Washington Post.
Annapolis started its season 2-5 before winning four straight. Against Glen Burnie, the Panthers will find out how far their young team has come.
The Panthers are coming off a 64-44 win over Southern (1-10) in Harwood on Friday.
Tavon Randall scored 38 points, including seven three-pointers for the Panthers and coach John Brady.
Brady (563-100) is just three wins away from tying the late Walter Bowers of Allegany for second place on the all-time list for public school coaches.
Former Thomas Johnson coach Tom Dickman, who is now coaching Hood College, holds the record for most wins (592) by a public school coach.
Glen Burnie coach Mike Rudd is not taking Annapolis lightly.
"They're still the defending [county] champs until this whole mess is worked out, " Rudd said. "We want to go down there and play well. "
Mitch Guest, the Gophers' catalyst who missed two games last week with muscle spasms in his lower back, is expected to play Tuesday.
"Mitch was cleared by the doctors to practice [yesterday]," Rudd said. "He was in a lot of pain last week, but wanted to play [Friday night], but we didn't want to jeopardize him because we need him down the road. I let him sit next to me as an assistant coach. He should be ready for Big John Brady and the boys on Riva Road."
Albert dominating
Glen Burnie hammered winless Northeast, 74-44, Friday as 6-foot-7, 310-pound Branden Albert scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
"Branden lost 30 pounds and has improved tremendously," Rudd said. "He's a lot quicker around the basket, makes better decisions and is playing good defense."
Albert, who was an All-Metro lineman, said Hampton (Va.) University is interested in him for football, while Rutgers, Marshall, Niagara and South Alabama like him for basketball.
For Albert to accept a scholarship, he first has to qualify academically.
"I'm waiting on my SAT scores, " Albert said. "It's my goal to go to a four-year college and get a degree and get a good job."
Cavs-Gaels recap
Archbishop Spalding and Mount St. Joseph put on an entertaining display of basketball Friday night, as the host and No. 3 Cavaliers dropped a 63-58 double-overtime decision to the No. 1 Gaels.
"It was a great atmosphere, " Spalding coach Mike Glick said of the standing-room-only crowd. "It was a game between two evenly matched teams. It's by no means the end of our season. It's a long season, and when we play them next time, we have to do a better job rebounding. The defensive boards hurt us a lot and was probably the difference in the game."
Spalding was outrebounded 32-29, including 22-11 on its offensive side.
Sideliners
First-year coach Johnny Williams has the Broadneck boys at 7-3 after Friday night's 48-43 win over Severna Park (5-6). The Bruins have not had a winning season since 1998-99 (16-9). ... Sean DiBlasi, a 6-2 senior basketball forward at Severna Park and a coaches All-County defensive back, carries a weighted 4.17 grade point average and scored 1,420 on his SAT. ... The Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association Board of Control has been discussing out-of-season instruction by school coaches during the summer. ... Jim Haluck, the South River athletic director who is the school's new boys lacrosse coach, was last involved in lacrosse as an assistant to Greg Carroll from 1984 to 1989. Carroll was the school's only boys soccer and lacrosse coach since 1978 before recently retiring from both sports. ... Tickets for the 13th Anne Arundel County Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet on Jan. 27 at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie are available by calling ticket chairman Bill Wentworth at 410-987-4732.
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