The Potomac Highlands Dispatch - the online newspaper

Wormack dominates first half of play to lead No. 2 Campers past No. 8 Rams, 54-28
Allegany senior scores 24 of team's first 32 points
Wharton, Landis combine for 19 points
Campers make 23 of 29 free throws

By The Potomac Highlands Dispatch
CUMBERLAND, Jan. 5 - The Southern Garrett girls basketball team might not have known what hit them Wednesday night against Allegany.

The second-ranked Campers, however, knew exactly what to expect. Leah Wormack said Allegany coach Jim O'Neal's scouting and demands at practice paid off once again and allowed the Campers to walk away with a 54-28 Appalachian Mountain Athletic Conference win against visiting Southern Garrett.

"Wormack kicked our butts in the first half," said Southern Garrett coach Daniel Bosley. "We were trying to hold her to 20 points" and keep Brooke Wharton from scoring much.

Bosley said he felt they managed Wharton by limiting her to 10 points only two days after she lit up Mountain Ridge for 21 points, including five 3-pointers. She hit just one 3-point goal on Wednesday in her home gym.

Allegany improved to 7-2 overall and 3-1 in the AMAC. The No. 8 Rams fell to 4-3 overall and suffered their first AMAC loss and are 3-1 in conference play.

Womack, meanwhile, proved a little harder to handle. She had nearly 20 points in the first half alone.

"Coach always goes and scouts our (opponents)," Wormack said. "we know what we're going to do."

O'Neal's strategy proved quite effective from the opening tip-off. Wormack said the team's designed cuts, screens and defensive strategy all played a role in the team's win.

Scouting, she said, is "how we get open."

Ten of Allegany's first 16 points were made at the free throw line and Wormack scored 19 of her 27 points in the first half as the Campers tormed to a 16-3 lead after eight minutes and a 27-13 advantage at halftime.

Southern Garrett junior Lindsy Brady's field goal with 23 seconds left in the second quarter pulled the Rams within 14 points, at 27-13. That's the closest they'd get to the Campers the rest of the game.

Wormack opened the third quarter with two more free throws - giving her 21 points in the game's first 16 minutes and 10 seconds. Only 30 seconds later, Wormack grabbed an offensive rebounds - one of 10 rebounds on the night - for the putback. She drew a foul on the drive and completed the three-point play with a single free with.

Suddenly, the Campers led 32-13 with no signs of slowing down. They didn't. The two teams traded baskets for the rest of the third period as Allegany led 41-21.

Wormack scored the first point of the fourth quarter - she accomplished the feat three out of four periods on Wednesday - before handing off to Wharton and Courtney to finish up. Wharton hit her first 3-pointer of the night with 6:32 to play and Landis scored seven of her nine points over the final six minutes.