At the midway point of the season, Harford County girls basketball has been largely what coaches expected in the preseason.
They said then, Edgewood would be the team to beat, some lauding it as a Class 3A state title favorite. The Rams are still “the benchmark this year,” one area coach said recently. “When you play Edgewood, how you do against them tells you who you are as a team. They are, without a doubt, the best team in Harford County.”
The Rams, 9-3 overall but undefeated in Upper Chesapeake Bay Athletic Conference play, have won every conference game but one by 10 or more points. The distance between them and the rest could be widening, but Fallston (8-4) and Perryville (8-1) are also eyeing UCBAC crowns and aren’t far behind.
The Aegis recently spoke with Edgewood’s Wes Laguerre, Fallston’s Johnny Woods and Aberdeen’s Jimmia McCluskey to get a sense of where the Harford County girls basketball landscape stands with just a few weeks remaining in the regular season.
How would you assess your season so far?
Woods: We are preparing to turn the corner. It’s been such a hectic first half. I call this our preseason; our season starts in the playoffs. And unfortunately, it’s just been kind of turbulent with the snow days and the cancelations. Right now we are going to start almost over. We’re gonna go back to just the foundational stuff we started with and run these next 11 games in 30 days and get ready for when it counts.
Laguerre: We ended the month on a low note. We had two losses. We played a tough Dulaney team, lost to them in overtime. And then we played a tough St. Timothy’s team, too, and they played very well, and then we were able to come back after winter break and get a couple wins under our belt. So right now we’re sitting at 9-3, and hopefully we can just continue building and having great momentum that can lead us into the playoffs.
McCluskey: We’re a lot better than our previous years. There’s more shooters on my team than past years. I feel like this is the year that my girls have worked hard for for the last three years. The majority of my team is seniors, so they’ve grown together. And then I have some new pieces that are learning to grow with this group as well.
What are you looking for from your team over the rest of the season?
Woods: Just consistency. We’ve played a couple tough teams. We’ve had a couple games where all three levels were [bad]. So it’s just consistency out of my older players. I’m not a young team. I’ve got four seniors and three juniors. So you got that mix you look for. I thought we’d be much more consistent in things we were trying to do and what we’re trying to accomplish on the court. So we’re definitely looking to be more consistent over this second half of the preseason.
Leguerre: I just look for us to continue to build what we already have in place. We have new pieces that we’re still trying to work into what we brought back from last year.
Natalie Wirth has been a key member of Fallston girls basketball since the Cougars’ state title run her freshman season. She has emerged this season as a senior leader for the Cougars. (FILE)
Who on your team has surprised you the most so far?
Woods: Natalie Wirth. I knew she’d be good. She’s a three-year starter, a four-year varsity player, she was on the team that won the state championship as a freshman, and she’s won two regional championships. So she’s been around the program just about as long as I have, and I knew she’d be good because she’s just been around some great players. Basketball is her second love. Lacrosse is where she’s going to earn her money next year in college. So she has really surprised me with the way she can score the ball. I knew she’s always been a great defensive player, but her offensive paralysis this season has been off the charts.
Leguerre: Arianna Sisk or Jael Erickson. Arianna, she’s been on our team for three years, but I think the way that she’s been a leader for us, I wouldn’t say that’s really surprising, but it’s great to see that improvement from her. And then J, the way that she’s been scoring the ball this season has been very impressive and fun to watch.
McCluskey: I wouldn’t say surprised, but she’s new to our area — Zoe Smith. She came to Aberdeen last year but she couldn’t play because she’d torn her ACL at her previous school. The energy that she gives to this team, the off ball movement, the rebounding, those things you look for in a kid, she really helps bring to this team.”
What matchup are you looking forward to most the rest of the season?
Woods: Our next big test will come against North Harford and Edgewood. North Harford has had a pretty good season this far. I haven’t had a chance to watch them yet, so I’ve got some fun when I watch them this week.
McCluskey: Patterson Mill and Edgewood. Patterson Mill is a very disciplined team, and we played them before and got beat really badly. Then it’s always, ‘Will Aberdeen beat Edgewood?’ It’s usually a physical game, the teams know each other.
What other Harford County team has surprised you the most this season?
Woods: “C. Milton Wright. They’ve won a ton of games, and they’ve got a great coach. They were competitive last year. But this year, they are definitely the top team in our region. I mean, we’re behind them, so we played the last game of the year. So I’m looking forward to seeing what that looks like. Along with North Harford, they are definitely the two teams that are blazing a trail right now, making some folks turn their heads.”
Leguerre: North Harford. They played us very tough; we won that game by five. They beat a good Patterson Mill team, they’ve had some good quality wins so far this year. And I would definitely say Perryville. They’re 8-1, they’ve won like eight straight games. That program has been building for a while, too, and that’s pretty cool to see. I think that coach has done a phenomenal job.
Have a news tip? Contact Taylor Lyons at tlyons@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/TaylorJLyons.
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