City's LaShay Taft is recovering well after a couple of her teeth were knocked out during Friday night's regional playoff game against Poly.
Dentists were able to put both teeth back in, City coach George Petrides said.
The sophomore guard was hurt when she was defending a player in the high post. The opponent went up to catch a high pass and her elbow caught Taft in the mouth.
"It was a freak thing," Petrides said. "I just watched it on film. It wasn't a foul. The girl was just going up to catch the ball. You could see her grab her elbow as she ran back up the floor. It hurt her, too."
The accident happened about 30 seconds into the game and the No. 9 Knights had to play without Taft, a strong ball handler who averages more than 20 points. Poly went on to win, 49-38, and end the Knights' hopes of going to the state semifinals.
Petrides didn't blame the loss on losing Taft, noting how well Poly played, especially in hitting its free throws down the stretch as it went 23-for-28 from the line overall.
"Emotionally, it hit us pretty hard, because she's well liked, but Poly played really well," Petrides said. "They did what they had to. They drove on us and got fouls and went to the foul line."
Douglass boys basketball -- Omar Strong proved why he's a returning All-Metro player and one of the best guards in the area in three Class 2A North games. In No. 6 Douglass' run to the regional final, which ended with a 59-57 defeat to No. 2 Randallstown, Strong put the team on his back. In a quarterfinal game against Samuel L. Banks, and with guards Brandon Simms and Justin Berry not playing, he scored an area season-high 50 points in the Ducks' 92-56 victory. He scored a game-high 27 against No. 8 City in the semifinals and a game-high 22 in the Randallstown game. "He'll leave a large legacy [at Douglass]. He's a great player. He has carried us through the region and we really think he's going to do some great things with basketball," Ducks coach Rodney Coffield said. "He's a great kid and we're excited about his future." Coffield said Strong would consult with his parents and coaches and decide on his basketball future in the coming weeks.
Capital Classic -- St. Frances senior guard Sean Mosley and Mount St. Joseph center Henry Sims were selected to participate in the 35th annual Under Armour Capital Classic game April 13 at 5 p.m. at Comcast Center in College Park. The game will feature a U.S. all-star team facing a Washington-based all-star team, and Sims and Mosley were named to the U.S. team. The game, which started in 1974, has featured such NBA players as Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Mosley and Sims were two of 11 players selected from all over the country, and all the players that were picked have committed to Division I schools. For more information on the event, go to thecapitalclassic.com.
DIGITS 8
Boys and girls basketball teams from Baltimore City and Baltimore County that advanced to the state semifinals. For the boys, No. 1 Lake Clifton, No. 2 Randallstown, No. 11 Parkville and No. 15 Dunbar are headed to Comcast Center, and the No. 5 Western, No. 12 Poly, Dulaney and Digital Harbor girls are going to UMBC.