Allegany College

It became one of the most lopsided final scores ever between Hagerstown Community College and Allegany College of Maryland. The Hawks continued along the unbeaten trail with their ninth straight win as they fashioned a 106-57 victory over Allegany in a Maryland JuCo Conference men's basketball game Wednesday night at HCC. “We could play (Allegany) three more times this year so this is important to get the first punch in against them,” HCC coach Barry Brown said. The Hawks shot a sizzling 62.3 percent, hitting 43 of 69 from the floor, including 13 of 23 from 3-point range.

The Hagerstown Community College men's basketball team spent 40 minutes doing everything humanly possible to win a regional championship. Unfortunately for the Hawks, the title game lasted 45 minutes. Allegany College, which came within on shot and three seconds of elimination, hit three consecutive 3-pointers in the first two minutes of overtime Sunday to wrestle the Region XX Division I title away from the Hawks by a 81-73 count at the HCC athletic complex. Only bad luck and nerves kept the Hawks from upsetting the nation's No. 8-ranked JuCo team for the second time in five weeks.

Devin Miller has a short memory. That's probably what many will gladly remember about him once he finally leaves Hagerstown Community College. Miller, using every ounce of his shooter's mentality, got past his offensive struggles just at the right time on Sunday. The sophomore scored eight straight points in a three-minute stretch late in the second half to bring HCC from behind and set up a final defensive stand to earn a 79-74 victory over Allegany College to win a second straight NJCAA Region XX Division I Tournament title.

bobp@herald-mail.com Allegany College was a big hit on Friday. It proved to be a clunker for the Hagerstown Community College men's basketball team, especially since it tuned the Hawks out of the Maryland JuCo Conference Tournament quarterfinals in a 83-73 decision at the HCC athletic complex. The judges had different levels to rate the Trojans' performance. "They hit the 3-ball tonight," HCC coach Kenny Keyes said. "We were right there in their faces and they still hit the shots.

The Herald-Mail asked high school seniors who agreed to participate in our monthly Senior Moments series the following question: Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Jessey Flowers, 17 Clear Spring High School When asked what he'll be doing in 10 years, Jessey jokingly said, "Living on a beach with a lot of nice-looking women. " However, he said it's more likely that he'll have a good job, be making a good salary and hopefully be married. "I have no idea what kind of job," he said.

They call him "Noodles. " It might be because of Mark Jennings' tall, lanky form. It could be because of how the Hagerstown Community College sophomore forward bends and contorts his body to get off jump shots. Or it could be because he's the perfect ingredient in the Hawks' game plan. After all, Noodles make either a great side dish or a hearty main course. Jennings is the staple to HCC's success this season, mainly because of his versatility. He has acquired a knack for blending in most instances, while becoming dominant when he's needed the most.

By BOB PARASILITI / Staff Writer photo: KEVIN G. GILBERT / staff photographer There's foul shooting, and then there's foul shooting. On Sunday, Allegany College did a goodly amount of the former while Hagerstown Community College did an unsettling amount of the latter. The best things in life are really free as the Trojans hit 26 of 32 free throws in the second half while HCC, at times, had trouble finding the rim in a physical, tightly contested 83-78 Maryland JuCo Conference victory at HCC's athletic complex.

bobp@herald-mail.com The one game which has been a traditional focal point on the Hagerstown Community College basketball schedule is taking on a new focus. Allegany College at HCC used to say it all. It was the first game of (at least) the Western Maryland trilogy. It was Allegany's Bob Kirk vs. HCC's Jim Brown matching coaching wits. It was a contrast and comparison of playing styles. That game is back for its annual run tonight at 8 in the HCC athletic complex, but Brown has since retired and the Hawks are hovering around .500.

In the end, all the Hagerstown Community College basketball team could do is sit and stare on Sunday. The game was over. The presentations were done. The Hawks - to a man, coaches and players alike - were motionlessly glued to their seats as if all feeling left their bodies and all reality had left their heads. Their expressions were blank and their eyes were as empty as the athletic complex floor they had just finished playing on. It wasn't so much that HCC lost the Region XX Division I tournament title to arch-rival Allegany College by an 81-73 count.

bobp@herald-mail.com Usually, barometer readings from Cumberland, Md., give indications of possible snowfall. Kenny Keyes will be taking a couple of readings of his own today to see if Hagerstown Community College is able to avoid an avalanche. The first is the weather, just to see if HCC will be able to play Allegany College today at 7 p.m. in the second of a possible four meetings of the two teams. Things snowballed for Keyes, the HCC coach, in the first meeting as he sat through a 95-64 home loss to the Trojans on Jan. 17. The second reading comes on the improvement meter.