Warriors

What a difference a week made for the Boonsboro volleyball team. After being swept by Smithsburg in the season opener last week, the Warriors took it out on South Hagerstown with a resounding 25-18, 25-7, 25-12 victory Tuesday night in the MVAL Antietam. “I think (the turnaround) was just a matter of them getting comfortable with one another,” said Warriors coach Andrea Parry. Boonsboro (1-1, 1-1) was sparked by Shelby Griffith's 18 service points, including 13 straight to start Game 2, and five of the Warriors' 16 aces.

Boonsboro coach Sam Connelly took a second timeout in the third quarter, still wondering where his offense was and when it might start to work. Williamsport had been playing a solid defensive game against the Warriors and held a 30-24 lead with three minutes remaining in the period. “We haven't seen a lot of 2-3 zones like Williamsport's and we just had to stop looking confused,” Connelly said. The Warriors responded with buckets by Claudia Jenkins and Shannon O'Brien that cut the deficit to 30-28 at the end of the quarter, giving Boonsboro momentum heading into the final eight minutes.

South Hagerstown's boys basketball team got a late challenge it wasn't expecting from winless Boonsboro. In the end, however, it was for naught as the Rebels beat the Warriors 68-49 in Friday night's MVAL Antietam matchup. The first half was a back-and-forth affair as neither team was able to secure a significant lead. The first quarter ended with Boonsboro trailing 14-12, as Aaron Miranda went 4-for-4 from the field for eight of his game-high 15 points for the Warriors (0-3, 0-2)

Boonsboro's girls basketball team almost turned a poor shooting night into a victory against Allegany on Thursday night, but it was not to be as the Warriors fell 40-37 to the unbeaten Campers. Both the Warriors (3-3) and the Campers (4-0) had a horrible first half shooting the ball, as both teams went 5-for-20 from the floor. Two 3 pointers by Allegany's Stephanie Dawson - both assisted by Courtney Landis - helped the Campers cling to a 13-11 lead at halftime. “We wasted a lot of opportunities in the first half,” said Boonsboro coach Sam Connelly.

When frustration canceled out determination and perspiration, the Boonsboro girls basketball team had to turn to another motivation. “I think in the last five-six minutes of the game, we depended on effort and desperation,” said Boonsboro coach Sam Connelly. And a lot of desperation was in the air as the Warriors mounted a furious 17-3 comeback in the final 4 1/2 minutes of the game, only to fall short in a 38-36 loss to North Carroll on Wednesday in the Maryland Class 1A West region East section final.

On the second night of Boonsboro’s “Shoot Pink” event to raise breast cancer awareness, the pink-clad Warriors thrilled the even-pinker-clad home crowd Friday with a 62-55 come-from-behind victory over the Brunswick Railroaders in an MVAL Antietam girls basketball contest. The “Shoot Pink” event is all thanks to junior guard Kim Seabright, who had the idea to create the event based on other athletes she had seen. “I had seen other athletes wearing the pink bands and socks and everything, so I wanted to create an event for the basketball team,” said Seabright.

Skip Chambers is hoping it doesn't take four more years for his Boonsboro boys basketball team to win another playoff game. While the 41-33 win over Manchester Valley in the Maryland Class 1A West region East sectional quarterfinal Tuesday night wasn't a thing of beauty, the Warriors coach sees it as a step in the right direction, snapping a playoff losing streak that dates back to 2009. “It's been a while since we've won a playoff game,” said Chambers. “We're getting better.

The Boonsboro wrestling team had its most successful season in program history this winter. The Warriors went 10-8 in dual meets for their first winning season, which included their first-ever victories over North Hagerstown and Smithsburg. The 10 wins also were a single-season school record. At the Maryland Class 2A-1A state tournament, seniors Bucky Miller (fourth at 189 pounds) and Jon Best (sixth at 160), both first-time state qualifiers, gave Boonsboro multiple state placewinners for the first time, with Miller matching the best finish in program history.

The North Hagerstown softball team scored all five of its runs in the first two innings and got a five-hit shutout from sophomore pitcher Rachel Thomas — who was backed by errorless defense — for a 5-0 win over Boonsboro in an MVAL Antietam game. “I think we played a great solid defensive game today,” Hubs coach Amanda Fleming said. “Defensively, we can’t ask for more solid games. Rachel did some good work for us today. I think she stayed focused. She did a great job and she didn’t fall behind any batters.” Thomas retired 10 straight Warriors in one stretch from the second to fifth innings.

Strange things make South Hagerstown boys basketball coach Kevin Naylor happy. The Rebels have athleticism, speed, quickness and move aggressively to the hoop. And when Boonsboro took the floor on Monday, Naylor got a big smile on his face. “When they came out in a zone, I was happy,” Naylor said. “We are quick, but we seem to play better against zones than we do against man defense.” The Rebels were able to do it all against the Warriors with mid-range jumpers and breakaway baskets off turnovers to collect a 78-32 MVAL Antietam victory.