Blazers beat Cavaliers, improve to .500

FEB 24, SILVER SPRING INTERNATIONAL MIDDLE SCHOOL-

The Blazers destroyed Kennedy 61-22 tonight, as they improve to an even 10-10 while Kennedy falls to a disappointing 2-18. The .500 record is the team's first in four years while the commanding 39 point margin of victory is also its largest in years, just ousting their 37 point win over Wheaton in its last game, on Feb 14.

The complete domination began early as The Blazers opened a seemingly effortless 12-0 lead to start the game and never looked back. The score reached 27-2 before Kennedy could muster its first field goal, with 2:30 remaining in the first half. Blair extended the lead into an unprecedented 35-4 point advantage at halftime. Reserves then played most of the second half, but they also dominated the troubled Kennedy squad.

Senior guard Jennifer Sindall led all players with 15 points, three three-pointers and four steals. Senior center Allyson Swailes, the team's resident Shaquille O'Neal, scored all of her 12 points in the second quarter, including a baseline jumper at the halftime buzzer. Junior center Emily Ramsay scored six points and led The Blazers with nine rebounds, as Swailes added five, out of the teams 53. The three players, subsequently the team's best, have contributed night in and night out, and are the main reason that Blair has won four out of its last 5 games.

Blair ran circles around the under-qualified Kennedy team, controlling all aspects of the game. Coach William Lindsay feels that the team was successful because the Blazers protected the ball and played as a team. "We played well, we held down out turnovers, everybody had a chance to contribute," he said.

The game scheduled for Feb 21 at Magruder had been cancelled due to the storm. This means that the game at home against the 15-4 Paint Branch panthers on Feb 25 will be the last in the regular season and a win would give the Blazers a winning record for the season. The Panthers won their first meeting 69-56, in Blair's first game of the season. Lindsay said that the Blazers "are capable of beating Paint Branch."