Old Mill Out to Bury the Past Against Arundel

When Arundel and Old Mill met in both the boys' and girls' Anne Arundel County championship games last season, the Patriot boys did just enough to stay ahead of the Wildcats and win their title. But the Patriot girls never came close.

As all four teams prepared for today's highly-anticipated doubleheader at Arundel, Old Mill's girls were focused on changing that outcome.

"Arundel's still very, very good," Patriots Coach Craig White said. "No doubt about it. But can things be different? Anytime you play, things can be different."

The No. 8 Wildcats (7-3, 5-0) are virtually the same team that beat the Patriots twice last year, first by 26 in the regular season and then by 27 in the county title game. They have three seniors committed to Division I schools -- guards Ebonee Jones (La Salle) and Ashley Davis (Drexel), and 6-foot-3 center Simone Egwu (Virginia) -- and another highly recruited junior in 6-4 center Sheronne Vails.

No. 15 Old Mill can't match that depth or size, but the guard-oriented Patriots (9-1, 6-0) hope to combat those disadvantages with 32 minutes of full-court pressure.

"We've got to extend the floor all the way out," White said. "If we don't give them problems in the back court and they bring it down into the front court, that's where there can be problems for us."

Senior guard Ciarra Lucas leads the Patriots with nearly 20 points and seven rebounds per game, and junior guard Kourtney Salisbury averages 10 points and three assists. They are 5-7 and 5-4, respectively.

Asked about their lack of size compared to Arundel, Salisbury said: "It just means everybody has to rebound. We can't just rely on our post players. The guards have to rebound every time."

One thing Old Mill can rely on is experience to match Arundel's. The Wildcats' last loss to a county team came against the Patriots in the 2006-07 playoffs, and many of Old Mill's current leaders were on that team.

"That gives us an advantage," White said, "that other [county] teams don't have."

Regardless of the past, Salisbury said the Patriots must play at their absolute best to beat Arundel. And if that does happen, "It would mean that we came a long way from last year and it would show how strong Old Mill basketball still is."

'Options' Boost Great Mills

After dropping three games in six days to open the season, defending Southern Maryland Athletic Conference and 3A South champion Great Mills has found its stride. Riding a seven-game winning streak, the Hornets (7-3, 4-0 SMAC) have held their past four opponents under 40 points and are one of the most balanced teams in Southern Maryland.