Manchester Valley back on top of Carroll County girls hoops heap
The Mavericks won their first Carroll County Athletic League crown since 2017.
A scheduling quirk had Manchester Valley and Westminster playing their two regular-season girls basketball games this season in the final week leading up to the playoffs, and that raised the stakes since the Mavericks and Owls were the top two teams in the Carroll County Athletic League standings.
The Feb. 16 matchup in Manchester had this on the line -- a Mavs win clinched the county title, their first in five years; an Owls win would draw them even with the Feb. 21 rematch looming.
Man Valley pulled away late at home to claim that county crown with a 48-40 victory. The Mavericks opened the game on a 9-0 run and closed it on a 10-0 spree that locked up the championship.
Carmaya Bowman posted a double-double by scoring 13 points and grabbing 12 rebounds to lead Manchester Valley (19-2, 10-1 CCAL). Kyrsten Lucas scored 11 points and sank two critical 3-pointers after Westminster (15-5, 8-3) had taken its first lead of the game. Taylor Leaman netted eight points and pulled down 11 rebounds, and guard Casey Meredith had five points, five assists and three steals.
Abby Kindle powered the Owls with a game-high 22 points, and Taylor Speigle totaled six rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Kylie McWilliams had four rebounds in the loss, and Kindle had four steals.
You can check out the CMSportsNet highlights below.
Girls Basketball
Liberty 62, Winters Mill 26
Recap: Jenna Liska had 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Lions (12-8, 7-4 CCAL), and added seven steals and five assists. Kassie O'Hern and Jess Littlejohn had 13 points apiece, and Littlejohn posted eight assists and six steals. Carli Vogel had six points and Allison Louque added five for the Falcons (2-15, 0-11).
Boys Basketball
Westminster 51, Man Valley 38
Recap: Westminster (4-15, 2-9 CCAL) celebrated seniors Liam Long, Cameron Crilly, Billy Hyatt-Otovic, Jake Jensen, Mark Chatkin, and Everett Costley with a victory. Long led the way with 20 points while Ashton Stewart had 14. Billy Hyatt-Otovic contributed 8 points and 6 rebounds. Xavier Grogg led the Mavericks (5-14, 2-9) with 11 points, while Brendan Luddy had eight.