Seton Keough Girls Unbeaten

By: Keith Mills

One day after beating Arundel in a battle of private and public school powers, the Seton Keough girls basketball team was back on the court, putting its unbeaten streak on the line against neighborhood rival Mount de Sales.

It didn’t take long for the Gators to take control of the game as coach Jackie Boswell’s team rolled to its 10th straight win of the young season, showing again it will be tough to beat.

The Gators have it all: size, depth, quickness, experience in Katelyn Fischer and Arika Ullman. Point guard B.J. Williams and 6-foot-3 center Asya Bussie are two of the best players in the state.

Bussie is reminiscent of former Towson Catholic standout Tori Harrison, a pioneer in local girls basketball in the early '80s. She had height, but was also incredibly skilled and quick and could run. Harrison played for Gus Grason at Towson Catholic and, along with Gert Scott, helped trigger the huge interest that exists now in girls basketball. She went on to an outstanding career at Louisiana Tech and is a former head coach at Coppin State and former assistant on the United States national team.

Bussie is similar. She is strong but quick with good hands and excellent around the basket. Against Arundel on Friday she went up against 6-foot-3 Simone Egwu and 6-foot-4 Sherrone Vails. Bussie got into foul trouble late but finished with 10 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks.

Against Mount de Sales she helped the Gators jump out to a 17-0 lead when she exploded from the middle of the lane to block a three-point shot, then retrieved the ball and went coast to coast for a left-handed layup.

It was an impressive show and one reason why college coaches from Penn State, Miami and Florida were on hand in Gambrills to watch the Keough-Arundel game.

As good as Bussie is, Williams may be Boswell’s most important player. The 5-foot-6 point guard can do it all -- handle the ball, play defense, shoot and flat-out score. She scored 20 points against Arundel, coming up big down the stretch when the Wildcats cut Keough’s 16-point lead to seven. She tallied 12 in the fourth quarter.

Boswell is in her eighth year at the Caton Avenue school. She has won over 150 games and was honored last June by coaching one of the United States teams in USA Basketball’s Women’s Youth Developmental Festival. Boswell’s team beat Brazil, 82-69, to win the bronze medal.