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Sports

Boys' Basketball: Glenelg Country Dragons Make Jump to MIAA-A

The Dragons take their place among the best high school basketball programs in the state, leaving the B conference behind to test their resolve against the top teams in the MIAA-A.

In his inaugural season with Glenelg Country, Coach Kevin Quinlan led the boys’ basketball program to a 26-4 record and its first ever MIAA B conference championship. In his second season, Coach Q will lead the Dragons to another first as he prepares the defending MIAA-B champions for their big move up to the A conference.

“We all know that, in order to be the best, we need to play the best,” Quinlan said. “In our minds, the MIAA-A is one of the finest high school basketball leagues on the East Coast, if not in the nation.”

If there was ever a time to make a jump to the MIAA-A, it was now.

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Glenelg Country is returning four of its five starters from its championship team. Point guard Ben Jordon was the lone starting senior for the Dragons in 2011.

More importantly, Glenelg Country will be returning its two leading scorers – Isaiah Miles and Warren Powers.

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Last season Miles averaged 18.8 points, 13.4 rebounds and 2.75 blocks per game, while Powers averaged 16.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.

“In my opinion, the timing of our jump to A Conference couldn't be better,” Quinlan said. “A number of our student-athletes - Isaiah Miles and Warren Powers in particular - have a fair amount of high school basketball experience under their belts, including the B Conference Championship.”

If the Dragons hope to have the same sort of success in the MIAA-A that they did in the B conference, they will need their dynamic duo – Miles and Powers – to match or even exceed the intensity they demonstrated in 2011.

“From what I see, our boys are now ready to test their mettle against the toughest competition in the area night-in and night-out,” Quinlan said. “With that said, we fully understand that our move will bring about many challenges - some foreseen, others unforeseen.”

The MIAA-A has a tradition of excellence.

Some of the notable A conference alumni include the New York Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony (Towson Catholic) and the Memphis Grizzles’ Rudy Gay (Spalding). 

“The athletes from A Conference are big, strong, and hungry, and the coaches are outstanding,” Quinlan said. “Our student-athletes know that we will need to spend the next seven months working very hard - building strength in the weight room and refining skills in the gym.”

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