Howard girls basketball sophomore forward Meghan Yarnevich made a concerted effort in the offseason to expand her offensive range. At 6-foot-1, Yarnevich is taller than most defenders she faces in the low post.
Now often facing double teams down low, Yarnevich has improved as a perimeter shooter, spacing out opposing defenses. That was on full display Monday night in the No. 4 Lions’ dominant 77-35 win over No. 8 River Hill, a matchup between the top two teams in the Howard County standings.
River Hill started the game as the more energized team. The Hawks’ press forced several Lions turnovers, which gave them an early 5-0 lead. Howard settled down after a timeout, but River Hill led 11-6 with 2:53 remaining in the opening quarter.
That lead quickly vanished as the Lions (15-1, 11-0 Howard County) outscored the Hawks 43-14 the remainder of the first half. Howard closed the first quarter on a 9-1 run to begin turning the momentum. Yarnevich scored all nine, part of her team-high 25-point performance.
Leading by three after one, Howard took complete command in the second quarter. The Lions’ offense erupted for 34 points in the frame, knocking down four of their 10 3-pointers. Freshman guard Kadirah Carroll sparked that barrage with three triples in the opening four minutes, a product of Howard rotating the ball inside out. Carroll scored all 11 of her points in the second quarter.
“Meghan has really expanded her game and really worked hard,” Howard coach Scott Robinson said. “She was able to show that tonight where she can play both inside and outside. She can hurt you in any way. I thought the threes by Kadirah along with the ones from Meghan were big as well. If they were collapsing on Meghan and she kicked it to Kadirah, she was able to hit the open threes.”
Howard’s offense also found success in the paint. Senior Gabby Kennerly scored 10 of her 19 points in the frame, while Yarnevich continued to use her size to challenge the Hawks (13-3, 9-2) inside. Efficient offensively, Howard also stymied River Hill defensively. The Hawks managed just eight points and two field goals in the second quarter as Samiyah Nasir hounded Hawks point guard and former teammate Mannat Gill.
Nasir made it challenging for Gill to set up the Hawks offense as Howard’s lead ballooned to 29 at the break. The third quarter was a similar story with Yarnevich once again controlling the game in the post and Nasir disrupting River Hill’s offense, creating transition baskets. As a result, the lead grew to 42 after three quarters.
“You have to be able to play with five kids at a time, you can’t play 5-on-4,” River Hill coach Teresa Waters said. “Samiyah on defense causes havoc for the guards. Whoever she was guarding, my guards were really flustered. I thought Meghan had a great game. I just thought they shared the ball a lot more and everybody was contributing in some capacity. It wasn’t the same for us.”
Early in the fourth quarter, the Lions emptied their bench with the starters receiving a rousing ovation from the home crowd. Four Howard starters finished in double figures. That unselfish offense continued with the reserves as Kelsea Campbell, Grace Henderson and Oluwadamilola Daniel each scored, prompting celebrations from the Lions’ bench.
The win gives Howard a two-game advantage in the county standings with six games remaining in the regular season as both teams will face off again at River Hill on Feb. 8.
“It definitely motivates us,” Kennerly said of the win. “It lets us know that we’re in the right spot, that we need to continue to reach our goal of progressing both in the regular season and postseason. It’s not over yet.”
