There is plenty of good news this season for Laurel High girls basketball coach Tommy Harrison, even though his team was well under .500 last season.

The Spartans' top three players are seniors Marche Pearson and Dalvon Pinckney and junior Asia Giles, in no certain order.

"Those are definitely going to be in the public's eye," Harrison said. Pinckney and Pearson are attracting the attention of college coaches, according to Harrison. Pearson, who played volleyball this fall for the Spartans, has battled injury problems for the past year.

In addition to some experience on the varsity team, Harrison is fielding a junior varsity team for the first time in four years.

"Not only do we have a JV program but we have girls who want to play and want to move up," said Harrison, now in his ninth year as head coach.

Harrison said he plans to have about 10 players on varsity and 13 on the JV team, though two players from the latter squad could get moved up to varsity early on. Laurel has a scrimmage Dec. 3 at Sherwood in Montgomery County, then opens regular-season play Dec. 8 at home against Central.

The Spartans play Dec. 10 at Wilde Lake in Columbia, then begin Prince George's County Class 4A play at home Dec. 11 against Eleanor Roosevelt, the defending state champ.

Who will be the teams to beat in the county league? "I am sure it is going to be Wise and Bowie, and I know Northwestern is going to be good," Harrison said. "Hopefully we will be pretty good. I am not taking anything for granted. It is a very tough league."

The Laurel varsity roster also includes Laura Bernabeu, an exchange student from Spain.

Jackson aids Bowie State

Bowie State junior Brittney Jackson (Laurel) averaged 11.2 minutes and 4.2 points in the first five games as a reserve for the Bulldogs. BSU was 2-3 before hosting Johnson C. Smith on Nov. 30.

From Laurel to Towson

Laurel High graduate Kandace Davis, a senior forward, started the first six games for Towson University and averaged a team-high 6.5 rebounds and 5.3 points per game. North Laurel resident Haliena Snowden (Seton Keough), also a senior forward, started five of the first six games and averaged 4.8 points and 5.0 rebounds. The Tigers host Loyola on Dec. 3, Bucknell on Dec. 7 and Maryland on Dec. 10.

Pallotti High grads in college

Jackie Buckley (Pallotti), a freshman at Division III Bridgewater (Va.) College, scored two points in 10 minutes off the bench in her first college game, a 56-51 win over Methodist Nov. 20. Buckley played volleyball, basketball and softball at Pallotti.

Ashley Lyles (Pallotti) is a senior at Division III McDaniel. She had nine points, six rebounds and four blocks in a 70-64 loss Nov. 24 to Muhlenberg, ranked No. 10 in the country at the time. Maya Pollock (Pallotti) is on the roster as a freshman at West Virginia Wesleyan.

---

user comments (0)