By Bethany Stewart & Nicole King

     The Allied bowling team has just won yet another County Championship this year, making this their second year in a row. After competing in a tournament at Normandy Bowling Alley on January 17th and 18th, the Gladiators were victorious. Coach Butch Schaffer said, ”I am so proud of this years team and their tremendous effort. I am going to miss the seniors, but I am happy they got the  experience of winning two championships at Glenelg.”

By Mason Steinberg and Julianna Mirabile

     The wrestling squad this season has been on track for being one of the best teams. A recent match against Mt. Hebron proved them to be worthy of a county title, beating them 51-18. Dylan Istre and Drew Sotka got the Gladiators off to a strong start by making a comeback and winning by decision. After losing one match, Glenelg stole the momentum back when Max Stoka won 13-5, and Garrett Murray winning by forfeit. The match was ultimately decided when Glenelg won the next two matches by pin, giving the Gladiators an insurmountable lead.

     For the second year in a row, Glenelg now holds the county title for wrestling. However, this year - unlike previous years - the Gladiators are expected to be strong contenders for a state title. Getting this state title would be the first since 2011. Sophomore Sam Alsheimer, said, “In order to take the state title, we must not take any match lightly, maintain our focus, and have the desire to win.” Having this uplifting attitude when approaching the upcoming matches will inspire the team members to dominate.

     Coming off a loss against Vermont, UMBC just could not hold their own against the Great Danes. The game on January 18th ended up being a blowout, the final score being 59-73 in Albany’s favor. UMBC was the one to break the ice as Nolan Gerrity scored the first points in the game with a layup. Albany’s Joe Cremo quickly answered tying the score 2-2. The game continued on each team scoring and the other answering until there was 7 minutes left in the first half. Thanks to David Nichols’ three point shot and Joe Cremo’s layup, Albany began to pull ahead 27-20. Albany was able to put up 10 points, while UMBC could only squeeze in 5. The half ended with Albany up 12 and the score 37-25.

     After the half, Albany scored a quick 5 points thanks to a free shot and layup from Stire, and a jump shot made by Nichols. UMBC’s K.J. Maura was able to break up the streak by executing a 3 point jump shot. Both teams continued to steadily put up points, and at the end of the 16 minute mark, the score was 46-32 Albany. This quickly ended because UMBC was unable to score for a full 7 minutes while Albany continued to hammer out shots.  The game continued with UMBC slowly putting up points and Albany steadily making layups. The game ended without much fanfare, 77-50 Albany.

     This win against UMBC was just what Albany needed as it broke their three game losing streak in the America East conference. If Albany had lost, it would have been the first time since 2002 that they would start 0-4 in league play. This game accounted for Ryan Odom's first loss against Albany, as it is his first season as UMBC's head coach. Odom said that he, “believes his program is a "sleeping giant".” (Selig) Unfortunately, it seems as if UMBC has a long way to go before waking up.

By Hannah Butera

     After a tough road defeat at Atholton on Wednesday, January 11th, which ended a nine game winning streak by Glenelg girl’s varsity basketball, senior co-captain Grace Butera knew how critical it was for the team to get back on track.  Friday, January 13th, in front of an energetic Glenelg home crowd, the Gladiators got the job done.  “We knew we didn’t play well Wednesday night at Atholton and a lot of us were very disappointed; but we talked about the importance of putting it behind us and coming out strong tonight and that’s what we did,” said Butera.  The girls proved their ability to turn it around in their competition against Centennial.

     After opening the season with a tough loss against Marriotts Ridge, the defending 3A State Champion Gladiators went on a nine game winning streak, which included tough games on the road against Gaithersburg and River Hill.  After a tough loss Wednesday night at the hands of rival Atholton, the Gladiators sent a message to the rest of the county that they wouldn’t stay down for long; dominating the game against Centennial.  Glenelg’s aggressive man to man defense set the tone for the game, allowing the visiting Eagles only four points in the first quarter; leading to a 10-4 first quarter lead.  Junior Jessica Foster had 7 points in the first to lead all scorers, while Seniors Grace Butera and Julia Wolfrey shut down Centennial’s big scorers and dominated the boards.  Glenelg was not the only team to show up on defense tonight however, as Centennial’s height and quickness made scoring difficult for the home team.  Continuing their strong defensive showing in the second quarter, the Glads pulled out to a 21-13 halftime lead, holding Centennial to a season low halftime total. 

     Following some halftime adjustments by Coach Chris Beil, the Gladiators came out on fire in the third quarter.  Glenelg scored 14 in the quarter, including a long range shot delivered by Jess Foster for 3, and a perfectly executed pick and roll play with Foster feeding the ball to Butera for a strong finish.  Kellie Johnson continued her domination of the offensive glass, accounting for 4 offensive rebounds in the third quarter, while Julia Wolfrey finished the quarter with a spectacular drive to the basket.  While the offense was incredibly strong, Glenelg continued to pressure Centennial on the defensive end of the floor, allowing only 7 points in the third quarter, opening up a 15 point lead.  Senior co-captain Julia Wolfrey talked about the explosive third quarter, saying, “we felt like we outplayed them big time in the first half but the scoreboard didn’t show it.  We knew we had to finish plays coming out of halftime.”  Wolfrey, who finished the game with 7 points and 8 rebounds also said, “we made some good offensive adjustments at halftime and coach called a couple of great plays out of our timeouts that really got us going.”  Wolfrey was right, the offensive explosiveness had a substantial impact on the girls victory.

     Glenelg began to slow the pace of the game early in the fourth quarter using most of the shot clock in each possession.  The Glads maintained their third quarter margin for most of the fourth quarter before pulling most of the starters midway through the fourth.  Centennial cut the lead to 10 due to leading scorer Risa Welsh’s consistent three pointers.  However, Glenelg reserves were up to the task and closed out a hard fought win.  “This was a big win for us tonight,” said Grace Butera, who added 4 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists.  “Some nights it’s not necessarily pretty but you do what you have to do to get the win.”  Glenelg was led by Jess Foster with 21 points, while Kellie Johnson chipped in with 3 points and 6 rebounds.  The win tonight brings Glenelg’s season tally to 10-2, while the visiting Centennial Eagles fall to 4-7.  Next up for Glenelg is a road game at Reservoir, while the Eagles travel to River Hill.

By Reagan Ahlquist

     This past Friday, January 13th, the Glenelg Gladiators faced off at Centennial, home of the Eagles, and ended up with a loss of 67-51. The game went back and forth up until the last quarter of the game when Centennial never gave up a lead. Glenelg basketball player Ryan Davis said, "We had them in the first half but they outworked us in the second half. A team that good is hard to come back against." And Centennial is currently the top team in Howard County. This is now the Eagle’s sixth straight victory and this loss brings the Gladiator’s losing streak to two games. The victory gives Centennial a record of 10 wins and 2 losses overall, and Glenelg’s record is now 9-4 overall.

     Centennial has been the overall best team in Howard County for a couple weeks now. The Gladiators fought hard for most of the game and showed that they can hang with the best of opponents. Unfortunately, they could not regain the lead in the fourth quarter to pull off the upset. Overall though, the Gladiators showed on how strong of a team they are and hope that they can make a run for states when the playoffs come around.

     The game featured lots of scoring from both sides with six total players reaching double-digit points. Since four players scored in the double-digits, Glenelg basketball player Josh Heigh said that he "didn’t feel as if any one player took control of the game". The game’s leading scorer was Centennial player, Elijah White, who totaled 16 points. The leading scorer for the Gladiators was Tommy Walsh with 11 points.

By Emma Twigg & Ryan Hack

     On January 17th, the indoor track and field team participated in the County Championships at Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex. According to Coach Johnson, the meet went well. There was a new school record and great performances from several different athletes on the team.

     Michael Bishop, a Senior, broke the school record for the long jump at 19’81/2”. Kirsten Crawford placed second in the 500 meter dash and was very close to breaking the school’s record. Senior Cara Nardone placed second in the 3200 meter run, which Coach Johnson said was a standout performance. The underclass girls’ 4x400 meter relay placed first in the event. The relay team consisted of three Sophomores: Kirsten Crawford, Jenny Giampalmo, and Courtney Baehr along with Freshman Megan Writt.

​      Overall, the season was a success. The team worked hard to break records and place well in the various track meets.

By Tyler Curtiss & Matt Lipp
     
     They playoff brackets are finally set. The Dallas Cowboys were the first team to clinch a playoff berth, which they did in Week 14, and received a first round bye. The New England Patriots were the second team to clinch early, they clinched a spot in Week 15, they also received a first round bye and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The other AFC teams that earned a playoff spot are the Kansas City Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers, Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans, and the Oakland Raiders. The five other NFC teams in the playoffs along with the Cowboys are the Green Bay Packers, Atlanta Falcons, Seattle Seahawks, New York Giants, and the Detroit Lions.

     The Texans and Raiders are the first teams set to face off on Saturday, January 7th. The winner of that game will travel to Foxborough to play the Patriots.  The Steelers play the Dolphins in Pittsburgh on Sunday, January 8th and the winner of that game will go to Kansas City to face off with the number two seed Chiefs. As for the NFC, the first game will be played Saturday in Seattle as the Seahawks take on the Lions. The winner of that game goes to the Georgia Dome to play the best offense in the league which belongs to the Atlanta Falcons. The winner of the game between the Giants and the Packers will go to Dallas to face the top seeded Cowboys.

     The fan favorite to win the Super Bowl seems to be the New England Patriots once again. Tom Brady is one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time and another championship may just put him on top. “Tom Brady is unbeatable when he's on his game,” Senior Tommy Walsh exclaimed. Many people believe in the Patriots because it's essential to have a good quarterback to be successful in this league. This thought seems to make people think the Packers may be the team to come out of the NFC to face the Patriots because of the outstanding play by Aaron Rodgers. “Rodgers is on fire! Riding a seven game win streak to get into the playoffs is going to make him hard to beat,” Junior Tony Mobley stated.
            

By Liam Day

     Who takes your vote as the 2017 All Star Game starters? The NBA has made a controversial change to the All Star Game voting system. Now the voting relies 100% on the fans. With no limits on who can be voted for, obviously they couldn't have thought that this would work out perfectly. With the bias of most fans, stats may not be the first thing they look for when voting. Zaza Pachulia and Joel Embiid are two players that have favorable leads in the voting count that have been heavily debated on whether or not they are All Star material. From a statistical perspective, the All Star Game rosters are much different.

     Starting at the guard position for the Western All-Stars should obviously be Russell Westbrook. He is currently averaging a triple double halfway through the season with over 30 points per game. Despite this, he was sent to the bench for the two time defending MVP, Stephen Curry by nearly 300 thousand fan votes. The secondary guard spots could have gone to any of these three players, Steph Curry, Damian Lillard or James Harden. Two of these probable All-Stars are averaging over 25 points per game and leading their team in assists. With Kobe Bryant gone, James Harden is looking for his chance at the starting guard position. He has been playing with extreme versatility bringing silence to the critics who have doubted his passing ability. ESPN reporter, Kevin McHale, shared his opinion on James Harden’s playstyle saying, "James is a scorer, and at the end of the day, you do fall back on what you are. James is a scorer at heart." Despite these opinions, Harden has been the most efficient passer in the NBA this year.  Playing valuable minutes at the point guard position, Harden’s double-double average with 28 points per game and over 11 assists made him the obvious starter at the shooting guard position.

     The Eastern Conference guards include Kyrie Irving at point guard who is one of the league's top scorers on the Cleveland Cavaliers. Aside from Irving, Isaiah Thomas earned a spot somewhere in the All Star roster at the point guard position finishing fourth in the fan voting. His stats out-weigh Irving’s with over 28 points and he is leading the NBA in fourth quarter scoring. John Wall is having one of his best seasons of his career, but unfortunately, the NBA fans do not think so. Wall is averaging 23 points per game with almost 10 assists and has led the Wizards to a huge home winning streak and back into the playoff picture. The shooting guard position rightfully went to the top five scorer, Demar DeRozan. With his scoring nearly identical to Thomas’ he has led Toronto to the top of the Atlantic Division. Another option for the position could have been Bradley Beal, as he is also averaging over 20 points per game.  

     The Western team without a doubt has some of the strongest centers and forwards in the league. Anthony Davis earned the starting center leaving DeMarcus Cousins uncertain of his chances to make the All Star roster. Both of these superstars average over 27 points per game and 10 rebounds. However, the forward positions consists of the two time defensive player of the year, Kawhi Leonard, and four time NBA leader in scoring, Kevin Durant. Of course the biggest effect of the NBA’s decision for fan voting has given Zaza Pachulia a guaranteed spot in the All Star game finishing second in the Western frontcourt voting. He has averaged 7 points and 6 rebounds throughout his whole career. He is eighth on his team in points per game and apparently has shown enough to the fans that he is All Star worthy.  

     The Eastern Conference's suffrage of the fan voting this year was at the Center position. Hassan Whiteside has been playing at an extremely high defensive level. He is averaging over 14 rebounds per game and over two blocks. With 17 points to go with it, he was looking to make his first All-Star game appearance. Instead, the rookie Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers will be the center representing the East racking in over 700 thousand more fan votes than Whiteside. As he is the only center with over 500 thousand votes, four-time league MVP LeBron James and rising star Giannis Antetokounmpo will be playing as the “big men” in New Orleans.

     The stacked Western Conference must live up to their expectations and big names going into February in order to keep their three year winning streak alive against LeBron James and the Eastern All-Stars. Will the NBA learn its lesson from putting the All Star game in the hands of the fans? Or will Pachulia and Embiid show up against all odds?

By Liam Day
 
     This week, the Glenelg Girls Varsity Basketball team entered their fourth game of the season against Oakland Mills after coming off of an easy win versus South River High School last week. Senior and starting power forward Julia Wolfrey returned to the court for the first time after tearing her ACL during the middle of last season, and center Katie Laporte looked to put in her best defensive effort once again as the only Freshman on the team.

     The game started quick and aggressive for Glenelg; they immediately jumped off to an 11-2 lead just minutes into the first quarter. They relied heavily on shots outside the paint, but Oakland Mills eventually caught onto this strategy, allowing them to trail by only 7 by the time the quarter ended. The second quarter was well fought by both teams. With the second half ending after a buzzer-beating layup on a quick fast break, Glenelg kept their lead up by a total of 9 points. Some highlights of the half included Glenelg being able to knock down every single free throw that they attempted, along with their success behind the three point line (4 shots for 7).

     The second half began slow for Glenelg. The Scorpions came within four points of taking the lead, but Coach Beil quickly called timeout and got the team back on track. They followed up by scoring ten straight points! Three point shots then continued to fall for the Gladiators - they ended the third quarter with a total of 75 percent success behind the line and finished the game with a total of 7 shots for 11.

     The Scorpions were simply unable to keep up with the Gladiators after their large point deficit during the first half, and this lead to Glenelg taking the win, 61-44. Starting point guard Jessica Foster finished with a huge 23 point total, and Glenelg's defensive game improved immensely - they allowed an average of only 11 points per quarter. Head Coach Chris Biel was very pleased with their performance, and said that “our defense is improving and our offense flowed very well.” Coach was also asked how about the team's performance as a whole, and said, “...it's always a team effort, but Jessie’s 23 points was very important for us.”
     Freshman Katie Laporte was a defensive wall in the paint. Oakland Mills scored was forced to take the variety of their shots outside the paint with Laporte grabbing almost every rebound of their missed shots. She finished with a whopping four blocks and a steal on the defensive side of the ball. Laporte said, “we played great ‘help defense’ and passed the ball very well.”
     The Glenelg girls basketball team advances to 3-1 on the season and has jumpstarted the 2015-16 season to be a promising won for the Gladiators and they look to keep the momentum rolling going into week five versus Hammond.

By Kendall Howze & Garrett Athey

     This year has been great for the Glenelg Cheerleading team, especially after the team placed third in their last competition on January 12th. According to Coach Oland, there are three different categories: team dance, pyramid, and the overall score. The team placed first in team dance, first in pyramid, and third overall. The last competition shows improvement after their first competition where they took sixth place.

     The team this year has had a great turnout in comparison to last year. Last year’s cheerleading team was not able to compete in any competitions, so it has been an exciting season getting to compete in three competitions.

     The next competition is the Junior Varsity Championship on February 2nd at Centennial High School. Coach Oland hopes to make it to the top three. Even though Marriotts Ridge and River Hill are always tough to beat, she is sure the Glenelg team will do well.