Howard County's top five performers and game balls for Oct. 10-14

Oct. 17—Each week, the Howard County Times awards five game balls to the top individual performances across the county throughout the last week.

Here is this week's edition of game balls, featuring athletes from four different sports.

Game ball No. 1

Xavier Patterson, Oakland Mills, football, senior, running back

Patterson finished with a career-high 201 yards on 25 carries in the Scorpions' 16-13 victory over Howard on Friday night. The senior didn't take long to find his footing with a 60-yard touchdown on Oakland Mills' opening possession. He also helped to seal the game with a 38-yard run on the Scorpions' final possession from deep inside their own territory. Oakland Mills hosts Reservoir on Friday.

Game ball No. 2

Jane Baldy, Centennial, field hockey, freshman, goalie

Baldy is excelling in her first varsity season, tallying a career-high 45 saves in Centennial's 3-2 victory in a one-on-one shootout over Reservoir on Wednesday. She also didn't allow a goal in a 9-0 win over Oakland Mills on Monday, the Eagles' third straight win. Centennial closes out the regular season on Tuesday against Long Reach.

Game ball No. 3

Kelenna Onukwugha, Howard, volleyball, senior, outside hitter

Onukwugha excelled in the Lions' victories over Atholton and Mt. Hebron last week. Wednesday, she finished with a team-high 14 kills against the Raiders, also adding six digs. The veteran bettered that effort with 22 kills and 19 digs in Thursday's win over Mt. Hebron. The Lions have won two matches in a row and travel to River Hill on Tuesday.

Game ball No. 4

Bella Buscher, Glenelg, girls soccer, junior, goalie

Buscher played an integral part in the Gladiators' 1-0 victory over Mt. Hebron on Thursday, who were previously undefeated in the county. The senior made four saves for Glenelg, posting her fourth shutout of the season. She has been one of the driving forces during the Gladiators five-game winning streak. Glenelg takes on Hammond on Tuesday in its final regular season county game.

Game Ball No. 5

Rhisen Davis, Marriotts Ridge, volleyball, senior, outside hitter

Davis posted a double-double in Marriotts Ridge's five-set win over Howard on Oct. 10, tying a team-high 13 kills, also adding 13 digs. Tuesday, she finished with six kills and four digs in the Mustangs' sweep of Wilde Lake. Closing out a busy week, Davis had eight kills and seven digs in Marriotts Ridge's first loss of the season against River Hill on Thursday. The Mustangs travel to McDonogh on Monday.