Lions move closer to first North Bayside title in program history

CENTREVILLE — The walls of Queen Anne’s County High’s gymnasium are plastered with banners celebrating past champions in just about every sport.

But with the exception of the banner commemorating head coach Dee Fisher’s 200th career victory last year, girls tennis is not represented on the gym walls.

“Girls tennis doesn’t have anything,” said Lucy Taylor, Queen Anne’s No. 1 singles player. “Sometimes those posters are kind of behind (in being updated). And we joke that it’s like a forgotten sport. But we’re out here showing we can win stuff too.”

The Lions have shown they can win quite often this year.

It started in the season-opener, when Queen Anne’s ended Kent Island’s impressive 102-match win streak against Bayside Conference competition. The Lions defeated the six-time defending Bayside champions again Friday by a 7-0 count, this one moving them within a victory of their first North Bayside title in school history.

“At the beginning of the season we had like an inter-squad scrimmage and that was like the best thing ever,” Fisher said after his team improved to 11-1 overall, 9-0 North. “Because when I matched them up they were just pushing each other.”

What has also helped is having players who have won conference or division titles in other sports this school year.

“I have volleyball players who had a great (Bayside title) team,” Fisher said. “Basketball players who had a great (North Bayside title) team. Field hockey players that had a great (Bayside championship) team. Soccer (which won the North Bayside). So I have a team of winners basically. They win at every sport they play. So it kind of trickled over to tennis.”

But Fisher admitted he did not see this coming after graduating nine seniors last year, most of which made up his starting lineup.

“We had a full team of juniors and sophomores,” Fisher said. “So this was going to be my get-them-used-to-playing year. Next year would be the year.

“A lot of the players hadn’t played doubles and singles,” Fisher said of his team. “So this was a chance to get their feet wet. But our program has a lot of girls, so I always try to build that up through exhibition. I’m always encouraging exhibition matches, lot of practice, and just having fun.”

In the process, Fisher’s get-them-used-to-playing year has turned into the get-them-used-to-winning year.”

Queen Anne’s got an early start on that Friday, sweeping doubles play for a 3-0 lead. Lucy Taylor and sister Meg Taylor, who have lost only once this season, defeated Jamie Tranquill and Isabelle Gamez, 8-2 at No. 1. The No. 2 tandem of Hayden Legg and Marylee Kline put together a similar 8-2 result over Gianna Tamburo and Taylor Harding. Sydney Pinder and Kara Ringold completed the sweep with an 8-4 win over Grace Turner and Jasleen Paquer.

“Last year we lost, what, nine seniors?” Lucy Taylor asked. “Most of which were in the lineup. This year, Hayden and Marylee have both come so far, and they have been able to pick up big wins for us. The same with Sydney and Kara. I think it’s just like, keep building on those skills we learned freshman year. It’s just amazing how much everyone has grown.”

Queen Anne’s lead continued to grow through singles play.

Meg Taylor defeated Gamez, 8-4, at No. 2. Legg was an 8-4 winner over Tamburo, and Kline earned an 8-2 win over Harding.

In the marathon match of the afternoon, Lucy Taylor, who lost both her singles matches earlier in the week, fell behind 3-0 to Tranquill. This wasn’t exactly anything new for the Lions’ No. 1, who rallied from a 4-0 deficit to win when her and Tranquill met in the season-opener.

“I was just thinking, ‘I’ve done this before. I can get it back,’” Lucy Taylor said. “I used the same mentality I did last time which is just like, one point at a time, one game at a time. And then I was able to build off of that.”

Taylor rallied to take an 8-7 lead, but Tranquill showed she too could battle back, pulling even at 8-8 to force a tiebreaker.

“This time was a little harder because we went back and forth so many times,” said Taylor, who won the tiebreaker 9-7. “This one really felt good.”

A win over visiting Easton on Tuesday or against Cambridge-South Dorchester on Wednesday clinches the division title for Queen Anne’s.

Do the Lions feel any pressure one victory shy of history?

“I think they don’t think about it,” Fisher said smiling. “I think they just go out and just play hard and have fun. No. We really don’t talk about it.

“This is our throw-away year,” Fisher said, referring back to this being a season of preparation for next year. “I don’t know how to explain it. We just go with the flow.”

Primarily an exhibition player, junior captain Sydnee Carr said it’s been a joy to be on the ride toward a potential first division title.

“It’s hard for me to speak on it because I’m typically an exhibition player,” said Carr, who has won all her doubles matches when Fisher has inserted into the starting lineup. “But it has been fun to watch everybody improve. Definitely Hayden and Lucy and Marylee. Just seeing them come out the past two years and improve in so many ways, and then be able to be in the starting lineup and excel is really fun to watch.

“Being on the field hockey team and being on the swim team, our teams have a lot of banners,” Carr continued. “So it will be fun to see my third sport be represented up on the wall.”

GIRLS LACROSSE

SSPP 21, SALISBURY SCHOOL 3

SALISBURY — Sophomore Caroline Ewing scored five goals and set up another, and senior Morgan Quade distributed nine assists and scored twice Friday, as Saints Peter and Paul won its 10th straight.

Eden Zimmerman had four goals and Kendall Kroniser (assist), Avery McCall (two assists) and Eryn Callahan (assist) each recorded hat tricks for the Sabres (10-1, 6-0 Eastern Shore Independent Athletic Conference). Kate Sweeney (goal) and Emery Zimmerman had two assists apiece.

NORTH CAROLINE 18, CAMBRIDGE-SD 2

CAMBRIDGE — Calleigh Tribbett and Ashlynn Bisesi (assist) each notched hat tricks Friday to pace the Bulldogs to their second straight victory.

Riley Walstrum (two assists), Ashley Kercheval (three assists), Maddie Mcninch, Reece Bisesi and Mia Schreyer had two goals apiece for North Caroline (7-3), and Claire Blue and Gracie Faulkner had one each.

SOFTBALL

QUEEN ANNE’S 6, KENT ISLAND 1

CENTREVILLE — Hannah Martin pitched a complete-game three-hitter Thursday, striking out 12 and walking just one as the Lions remained atop the North Bayside with North Dorchester and Easton.

Autumn Huber had one hit and three RBIs for Queen Anne’s (13-1, 5-1) and Morgan Gottleib, Caroline Taylor, Camaryn Jacobi, Emily Rendulic and Reese Brooks each had one hit.

Bri Kurtz, Abbie Mahaffey (RBI) and Sena Koch had one hit apiece for Kent Island

ST. MICHAELS 22, KENT COUNTY 6

ST. MICHAELS — Madi White was 3 for 3 with a double, three RBIs and three runs, and Myla Ramey was 3 for 4 with three runs Thursday as the Saints (6-9, 2-5) ended a three-game skid.

Mercy Haddaway earned the win, striking out three and walking five.

St. Michaels’ Brooke Reilly was 2 for 4 with three runs scored, Lily Haddaway was 2 for 3, scoring two runs, Brianna Crow went 2 for 4 with three runs scored, Lola Browning was 3 for 5 with two RBIs, and Katie Jenkins was 2 for 5 with a triple and a run scored.

BASEBALL

QUEEN ANNE’S 4, KENT ISLAND 3

CENTREVILLE — Evan Dickey was 4 for 4 with two RBIs, and Dalton Brown went 1 for 2, knocking in two runs as the Lions outlasted their county rival in nine innings.

Brown earned the win, going 3 2/3 innings. Dickey pitched 5 1/3 innings.