In search of a second straight win, the Gladiators' girls hoopsters traveled to Blake HS on Tuesday (2/2). But they probably wished they were heading elsewhere as a powerful Blake side delivered a 71-38 hammering on the visiting Glads.

With Northwood’s varsity roster down to just eight players, the Glads started off slowly and trailed from the opening whistle. Blake spurted to a 24-4 first-quarter and effectively ended the game by opening up a 42-11 advantage at intermission. Northwood’s best showing came in the final quarter against the host team’s bench players.

Scretchen again led Northwood in scoring with 16 points, including 11 in the final period when the outcome was well beyond boubt. She also gathered 16 rebounds for a rare double-double performance. Morgan finished with 8 points, Ghirma chipped in another 6 for the visiting side.

The Glads have five more games left on the docket. The team's won-loss marks stands at 3-14. The team returns to action on Friday evening. –– posted by jay p. goldman, 2/2/10, 11:55 p.m., with reporting by vivian scretchen

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Game 16: Gladiators 49, Wheaton 46

Northwood’s varsity girls basketballers got the big W, 49-46, against the visiting Wheaton Knights on Friday night (Jan. 29).

Vanessa Scretchen, a sophomore, paced the Glads to their third win of the winter in 16 outings with a team-high 18 points. After a slow start in which she missed her first two free throws, Scretchen connected on the next six.

Northwood’s Morgan really showed up for this one, connecting on five three-pointers and finishing with 17 points. Also hitting the scorebook for the home side were Ghirma with 6, Silver with 4 and Jupiter and Parker with 2 apiece.

It was a slow start for both teams with the first quarter finishing with a 9-7 lead for Wheaton. At the interval, the Glads trailed by 3 as they couldn't stop Hart from Wheaton, who finished with a game-high 23 markers.

Northwood's biggest lead in the 3rd period was 5 points. The team played smart ball down the stretch for Coach Jeff Rackey and held on to the lead until the final buzzer at the Northwood gymnasium.

The Glads have two games to play in the next week, on Tuesday and Friday.–– posted by jay p. goldman, 1/29/10, 10:55 p.m., with reporting by vivian scretchen

Gazette Story on the Girls and Boys games here. __________________________________________________________________________

Game 15: Kennedy 57, Gladiators 31

The Northwood girls varsity hoopsters held one of the county’s most prolific scorers to just eight points Wednesday night (Jan. 27), but the visitors still managed to pull off a lopsided 57-31 victory over the Gladiators.

The Glad girls came out with a much tighter defensive posture this time against Kennedy, holding the Cavaliers’ Sunny Conway-Flores, who was averaging 18.3 points per game through 13 games, to single digits. The Glads allowed Kennedy to score only 13 points in the 1st quarter compared to 19 when the two sides squared off just a few weeks back.

At halftime, Kennedy had mounted a decisive 27-9 edge.

Northwood Coach Jeff Rackey made a change in his starting lineup and introduced a different game plan. It didn't get them a win, but the team was able to play a little more defensively.

Silver and Parker led the Glads in scoring with 8 and 6 points, respectively. Ung and Morgan tallied four, while Scretchen, Dang, Jupiter and Ghirma had two apiece and Saah added a single – marking the first time every player in uniform reached the scorebook.

Northwood (now 2-13 overall) plays again at home on Friday evening, its third game of the week.––posted by jay p. goldman, 1/27/10, 10:50 p.m., with reporting by vivian scretchen

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Game 14: Gladiators 52, Rockville 44

The Northwood girls varsity basketball team started off a little slow once again but outscored Rockville down the stretch in a 52-44 victory over the host Rams on Monday (Jan. 25).

The Glads (2-12 overall) have won two games this winter, both against Rockville.

Scretchen led the Glads with a game-high 17 points, 15 of which came in the opening half. She dominated the 2nd quarter by scoring her team’s only 7, but fouled out in the final period. Silver started off strong and ended with 8 points, while Morgan tallied 10 of her 13 points in the 4th quarter. Jupiter added 2 and Atakora had 4, despite early foul trouble. Ghirma added 8, including a pair of 3-pointers.

Rockville held a 21-20 halftime lead, but the Glads outscored the Rams 32-23 in the second half. The Glads have two more games on tap this week. -- posted by jay p. goldman, 11:15 p.m. 1/25/10 with reporting by vivian scretchen

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Game 13: Montgomery Blair 68, Gladiators 41

In a highly physical game where passions ran high, Montgomery Blair asserted neighborhood bragging rights for another year, holding off the Gladiators in varsity girls basketball on Friday evening (Jan. 22) at the Northwood HS gym.

The home side, after trailing by 16 points at intermission, closed within 5 midway through the third quarter behind some rugged play that led to a technical foul called on the Blair head coach. That event triggered a surge by the Blazers, who pushed the lead to 12 points by the end of the period enroute to a lopsided 68-41 victory. Blair outscored the hosts 19-4 in the final quarter.

The game was the first for both teams following a week-long layoff for semester exams. The break had a bigger effect on the Glads, who had another slow start, unable to hit the scoreboard until 3:30 had elapsed and falling behind 9-2.

For Northwood, Scretchen scored a game-high 17 points, going to the free throw line 19 times and making 11. She was followed in scoring by Ghirma with 9 points, Morgan 7, Atakora 4 and Silver and Jupiter 2 each.

Northwood fell to 1-12 overall, while Blair raised its mark to 6-7. The Glads have three games on tap next week. -- posted by jay p. goldman, 9:30 p.m. 1/22/10

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Game 12: Einstein 38, Gladiators 31

After holding a rare halftime lead, the Northwood girls varsity hoopsters allowed host Einstein HS to pull off a 38-31 victory on Friday (Jan. 15), falling to their 11th defeat in 12 outings in 2009-10.

The Glads were up 18-16 at intermission, but the Titans pulled away during the final two quarters for just their third win in 12 games overall.

Senior shooting guard Sarah Morgan was the lone scorer in double figures for Northwood with 12 points.

The game was Northwood's third in five days, and the unusually heavy workload may have played a toll on the lackluster second-half showing of Coach Jeff Rackey's forces.

Northwood has a week off to regain its energy before hosting neighborhood rival Montgomery Blair (5-7 overall) at 7 p.m. Friday.-- posted by jay p. goldman. 8:45 a.m. 1/16/10

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Game 11: Blake 69, Gladiators 35

Vanessa Scretchen poured in 16 points, but it wasn’t enough to overcome her team’s sluggish start to another contest as visiting Blake HS drubbed the Northwood Gladiators in girls varsity basketball, 69-35, on Wednesday (Jan. 13).

Another slow start did in the home side. Blake opened a 17-2 first-quarter lead and held a 35-11 margin at intermission.

Scretchen, a sophomore starter all season, was largely the only serious contributor for the Glads for long stretches. She was the only point producer for the home side in both the first quarter and again in the third period when she tallied eight points. Northwood outscored Blake’s bench players 16-10 in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach.

Following Scretchen in the scoring column for the Glads were Jupiter (12 points), Silver (4 points), Ghirma (2) and Morgan (1).

With the loss, Coach Jeff Rackey’s side fell to 1-10 overall. The team returns to action on the road Friday, their third game in five days.-- posted by jay p. goldman. 10 p.m. 1/13/10, with reporting by vivian scretchen

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Game 10: Wheaton 49, Gladiators 47

Northwood's girls basketballers travelled a short distance to Wheaton HS in search of another elusive victory on Monday (Jan. 11), but wound up suffering the most disappointing defeat of the winter so far.

Northwood overcame a 5-point halftime deficit to tie the contest at the end of three quarters, but fell to the host Knights 49-47.

Scretchen led the Gladiator way, scoring 9 of her 15 points in the 3rd quarter. In the final quarter, Wheaton's top player took control, tallying 10 points, 6 from the free throw line.

Atakora contributed 12 points for the Glads. Silver had 6 points, Morgan 3, Ghirma had 9 and Parker had 2.

Northwood, now 1-9, plays at home Wednesday and on the road Friday. -- posted by jay p. goldman. 9 p.m. 1/12/10, with reporting by vivian scretchen

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Game 9: Kennedy 67, Gladiators 30

Kennedy High School played inhospitable hosts to the struggling Northwood varsity girls basketball team on Friday (Jan. 8), the Glads' third game in four days. The hosts delivered a lopsided 67-30 defeat.

The Northwood girls let another one slip away from them very early, scoring only five points during the opening half. The high scorer for Northwood was Christina Atakora with 9 points. All but one player scored.

Here is the breakdown of the score by quarters: 1st, Kennedy 19-2; 2nd, Kennedy 36-5; and 3rd, Kennedy 51-17.

First-year Coach Jeff Rackey, who did not experience a single losing season during the past five years as junior varsity coach at Einstein HS, now finds his Gladiator floundering with a 1-8 overall won-loss mark. The team has little time to lick its wounds with games scheduled for Monday, Wednesday and Friday in the week ahead. Only the Wednesday game is on the home floor.-- posted by jay p. goldman. 10:25 p.m. 1/8/10, with reporting by vivian scretchen

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Game 8: Sherwood 47, Gladiators 27

Junior Christina Atakora showed up on the court today as the high scorer for Northwood’s girls varsity basketball squad with nine points, but it wasn’t quite enough against a solid Sherwood HS team. The Gladiators’ 47-27 loss on Thursday (Jan. 7) on the Northwood court didn't necessarily reflect the home team's competitive fight during the opening two stanzas.

The contest was was a makeup of the mid-December game that was cancelled by heavy snowfall.

Sophomore Janelle Silver handled the ball up and down the court for the Glads in their latest outing and finished with five points. Classmate Vanessa Scretchen finished with a half dozen.

Northwood, which was coming off its first triumph of the winter campaign two nights earlier, came out firing on most cylinders and managed to keep up with Sherwood in the first half, trailing just 21-14 at halftime. But the Glads could not sustain the effort, showing once more this is a young team with potential.

The Glads fell to 1-7 overall (1-0 division) in 2009-10.

Coach Jeff Rackey's Northwood side gets no time for a rest, returning to action on the road Friday against Kennedy HS. -- posted by jay p. goldman, 10 p.m., 1/7/10, with reporting by vivian scretchen

Game 7: Gladiators 40, Rockville 26

It took eight games and the start of a new calendar year, but the Northwood girls basketballers showed they set the right resolution with the turn of the page from December into January. The Glads pulled of a decisive 40-26 win over the visiting Rams on Tuesday evening (Jan. 5).

In its first game since the holiday break, Northwood raised its 2009-10 mark to 1-6 (1-0 division). The game was part of a boy-girls doubleheader on the Northwood hardwood.

Vanessa Scretchen scored a season-best 12 points, all in the opening half, and was named player of the game. Sophomore Janelle Silver also tallied a dozen markers, including six in the final stanza. Also scoring for Northwood were Sarah Morgan, 4 points; Julie Dang, 1 point; Christine Atakora, 2 points; Sina Ghirma, 7 points; and Precious Parker, 2 points. She hit a buzzer beater at the end of 3rd quarter.

Northwood led 20-10 at the interval.

Coach Jeff Rackey's Gladiator girls will have an immediate shot at victory No. 2 in 2010. The team hosts Sherwood HS on Thursday, then travels to Kennedy HS on Friday as part of a boys-girls doublebill. -- posted by jay p. goldman, 10:35 p.m. 1/5/10 with reporting by vivian scretchen

Game 6: Crossland 47, Gladiators 34

The Gladiators girls basketballers settled for fourth spot in the Lady Millers Holiday Mixer at New Town HS in Baltimore County with a 47-34 defeat at the hands of Crossland in the consolation match on Tuesday (Dec. 29).

The Glads (0-6) placed no one in double figures, but sophomore point guard Janelle Silver led the scoring column for the second successive night with nine points.

Coach Jeff Rackey's team wants to rebound when it returns to the friendly confines of Northwood for a 5:15 p.m. game versus Rockville HS on Tuesday.-- posted by jay p. goldman 12/30/09, 8 a.m.

Game 5: Frederick 67, Gladiators 30

In the opening round of the Lady Millers Holiday Mixer at New Town HS in Baltimore County, the Gladiators' girls varsity basketball team dropped a 67-30 decision to Frederick HS on Monday (Dec. 28).

The Glads (0-5) fell behind 34-13 at the intermission and never closed the gap.

Northwood placed just one player in double figures, sophomore point guard Janelle Silver, who tallied 12 points.

Coach Jeff Rackey's Glad girls play in the consolation match of the mixer against the other first-round loser.-- posted by jay p. goldman 12/29/09

Lady Gladiators before the start of Seneca Valley varsity game.

Game 4: Watkins Mill 53, Gladiators 22

The Gladiators had high hopes for a close contest in girls varsity basketball on Tuesday (Dec. 15) and maybe even a victory in the matchup with winless Watkins Mill, but it was not to be.

The visitors (1-3) jumped out to an early lead over the Gladiators and held on comfortably, leading 33-12 at the halftime. interval.

Precious Parker came off to the bench to lead the scoring for Northwood with five points. Others who reached the scoreboard were Vanessa Scretchen, 3 points; Christine Saah, 3 pts.; Sarah Morgan, 3 pts.; Michaela Jupiter, 2 pts.; Christine Atakora, 3 pts.; and Sina Ghirma, 3 pts.

Coach Jeff Rackey's Glad girls hurt themselves badly at the free throw, failing on 13 of 25 tosses at the charity stripe.

The team, now 0-4, has some extra time to figure out a winning formula, returning to action next Monday at home versus Sherwood HS. Games time is 7 p.m. It's the final contest of 2009 for Northwood, which surely hopes the new year brings new fortune on the hardwood.-- posted by jay p. goldman 12/16/09, with reporting by vivian scretchen

Game 3: Quince Orchard 48, Gladiators 26

The Northwood girls basketballers played the hardest they have so far, but still were not able to pull off a victory on Friday (Dec. 11).

At halftime, the Gladiators trailed host Quince Orchard HS by just seven points, 19-12, but in the end Northwood didn’t have enough offensive firepower, falling 48-26.

Scoring for Northwood were: Vanessa Scretchen (5 points, 8 rebounds), Sarah Morgan (6 pts. despite three personal fouls early in the contest), Michaela Jupiter (3 pts., 8 rebounds), Christine Atakora (4 pts., 13 rebounds, 7 blocks), Sina Ghirma (5 pts. despite early foul trouble) and Precious Parker (3 pts.)

Dallas Sulyma, Northwood’s assistant coach, said his side went just 6 for 19 at the free throw line. He said that in the previous two games the team started off slowly but this time came out ready to play, stymied only by foul trouble.

Sulyma singled out the showing of Atakora for her rebounding and blocks.

The Glads now stand at 0-3, but they face another winless team, Watkins Mill HS, at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the friendly confines of the Northwood gymnasium seeking their opening triumph.– posted by jay p. goldman with reporting by vivian scretchen, 8:40 a.m., 12/12/09

Game 2: Seneca Valley 70, Gladiators 23

Northwood's girls varsity basketball squad sought their first victory of 2009 against visiting Seneca Valley HS on Tuesday (Dec. 8), but it wasn't to be.

Few shots dropped for the Gladiators in the early going, and it seemed to affect the way they played the rest of the way. Seneca Valley jumped out to a 21-2 first-quarter lead and extended it to 38-13 at the intermission. The visitors stopped Northwood from scoring a single point in the third quarter, building an insurmountable 56-13 advantage.

Scoring for Northwood: Vanessa Scretchen, 2 points, both free throws; Janelle Silver, 7 points, including a pair of three-point shots (one at the game’s final buzzer, Northwood’s game highlight); Sarah Morgan, 7 points, including a three-pointer; Julie Dang, 2 points; and Sina Ghirma, 5 points, including a three-pointer.

Northwood collected four field goals, an equal number beyond the 3-point arc and seven free throws.

The Gladiator girls return to the hardwood on Friday evening, visiting Quince Orchard HS in varsity action at 7 p.m. – posted by jay p. goldman, 11:15 p.m. 12/08/09, with reporting by Vivian Scretchen

View photos of the varsity game by Gameday photographer.

Game 1: Milford Mill Academy 47, Gladiators 22

The girls varsity basketball team at Northwood opened its 2009-10 campaign on a disappointing note, dropping a 47-22 contest to visiting Milford Mill Academy on Friday afternoon (Dec. 4).

The Gladiators girls just couldn't get their shots to fall at the game’s start, falling behind early but continuing to play hard. The team's defensive play got stronger as the game moved along but not soon enough to stop the visitors from rolling to victory.

Northwood’s starting lineup consisted of senior Sina Ghirma (7 points), senior Sarah Morgan, junior Christine Atakora (2 points), sophomore Janelle Silver (6 points) and sophomore Vanessa Scretchen.

Here’s the score quarter by quarter: 1st quarter: NHS 1, Milford 19; 2nd quarter: NHS 7, Milford 32; 3rd quarter: NHS 11, Milford 41. 4th quarter: NHS 22, Milford 47.

The opponents are from a 1,500-student public high school in Baltimore County.

The game marked the Northwood coaching debut of Jeff Rackey and Northwood's first game as a Division 3A school. Because of enrollment increases, Northwood was forced to move up in all sports this year from the 2A division.

Rackey is hoping to lead the Gladiator girls to an improvement over last winter's 8-11 won-loss mark. -- posted by jay p. goldman with reporting by Vivian Scretchen