Timid? Take That, Says Lackey Center In a Breakout Year

Maryland Coach Brenda Frese and Duke's Gail Goestenkors have come to the Leonardtown school to watch Broomfield, and coaches from Texas and Indiana plan to come soon, said Ryken Coach Tara Pappas.

"She can do it all, and she's young, so she'll get better," said Pappas, a former Great Mills assistant, who took over the program in October. "And the amazing thing is, I don't see her bragging at all. She doesn't like the limelight. She's not like, 'Ooh, guess who's there to see me?' "

That's because all the people in the gym can't take their eyes off Broomfield, including Patuxent Coach Sonja Carroll. When the Panthers faced Broomfield and the Knights on Dec. 22, Ryken held a 26-25 lead going into the fourth quarter. Broomfield scored 13 of her game-high 28 points in the fourth as the Knights rolled to a 51-38 victory.

"She has a nice and soft shot," Carroll said. "She's a good athlete. She definitely makes the players around her better."

That might be Broomfield's most impressive accomplishment. Pappas said it was easy for her players, early on, to watch their new teammate in amazement. But, gradually, the Knights are trying to play up to Broomfield's level, rather than ride her coattails.

In a 55-42 victory over Lackey in the championship game of the Huntingtown Holiday Tournament, Broomfield wasn't even the Knights' leading scorer. Her 13 points were trumped by sophomore Megan Matheny's season-high 19.

"We're in a really tough predicament," Pappas said. "She's only a sophomore, but we're all looking to her as our go-to player. But the girls are looking up to her and saying, 'I want to be able to get up to her level.' "

Robinson on the Rise

Carroll doesn't need to do much to motivate Patuxent junior center Chrissy Robinson. Robinson gets that from her family.

Robinson's older sister, Amanda, was the All-Extra player of the year in 2003-04 and is starting at forward for the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Not surprisingly, Chrissy Robinson is starting to pick up some of her older sister's strengths.

"She's running the floor better, catching the ball and seeing the floor better," Carroll said. "She's understanding how to use her size and body."

Chrissy Robinson scored a career-high 25 points to lead the Panthers to a 53-45 victory over High Point last week in the championship game of the DuVal Christmas Classic. It was her first career 20-point game. The previous day, she scored 16 in a 42-33 victory over the host team.

Chrissy Robinson will probably develop a little differently from her older sister. She is stronger, with a greater affinity for the low post than her sister, who has excellent footwork and developed a strong mid-range jump shot.

Calvert Player Dismissed

The boys' team at Calvert suffered a blow when junior center Mike Pernell was dismissed from the team Dec. 28 for disciplinary reasons.

The 6-4 Pernell, who averaged 14.8 points per game, second on the team to Eric Young's 21.6, was Calvert's lone player taller than 6-1 among its top eight scorers.

"We're going to have to make [his 14.8 points] up somewhere," said Cavaliers Coach Rick Lagana. "If everyone pitches in a little bit, we can overcome that."

After winning its first four games, Calvert has lost three straight, including both games at the Winters Mill Holiday Tournament -- 61-58 to Century and 69-44 to Atholton on the day Pernell was dismissed.