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Timid? Take That, Says Lackey Center In a Breakout Year
The surprises aren't limited to Lackey's opponents. While Mount St. Mary's was at a tournament in Puerto Rico last month, Mountaineers Coach Milan Brown called Mast to check up on his future player. Lackey had just defeated Bladensburg, and Jackson had 14 points, 13 rebounds and 12 blocks.
Brown's reaction? "He was even shocked when he heard that," Mast said.
  Lackey center Tayvon Jackson has nearly doubled his scoring average from last season and is averaging 12 rebounds. (By Preston Keres -- The Washington Post) |
Leonardtown Guard Dazzles
There are plenty of surprised looks, too, at Leonardtown games, thanks to senior guard Jackie Pixley. As the lone returning player with substantial experience, Pixley is getting plenty of opportunities to score.
The 5-foot-9 Pixley started the season with a career-high 22 points in a 49-46 victory over Patuxent, bettering his previous best of 15. On Dec. 22, he scored 23 against St. Mary's Ryken, and he is averaging 16 points through six games, heading into last night's game against Westlake. He averaged fewer than seven per game last season.
"Jackie is surprising people," said Leonardtown Coach Jake Heibel, who is in his first year with the program. "He's mixing it up more than anything. He's hard-nosed, but the kid can jump through the roof."
Pixley can shoot from the outside -- as evidenced by his five three-pointers in a 50-43 loss to Chopticon on Dec. 30 -- but he is unafraid to drive the lane. Eleven of his 23 points against Ryken came at the free-throw line.
But Heibel knows this can't last long. Pixley has scored 96 points through six games, and the rest of the Raiders have managed 157.
"Teams are going to start keying on him," Heibel said, "and that's why we need some help."
Broomfield Stacks Up
Laura Broomfield seems to be doing the impossible -- living up to the enormous hype that followed the sophomore forward when she moved from Georgia to St. Mary's Ryken last summer.
Broomfield, one of the most heavily recruited players in the class of 2008, has averaged 23 points per game as she has led the Knights to a 6-1 start, doubling the team's victory total from last season.
