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posted 08/21/2009
MAIN LINE GIRLS BASKETBALL LEAGUE ANNOUNCES 2009 SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
ANNOUNCES 2009 SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
MERION, PA.—(June 8, 2008)— Emily Labowitz, Jamie Levy, and Maggie Mae Shields are this year’s recipients of the seventh annual Main Line Girls Basketball Association Scholarship. The MLGBA Scholarship Award was created to recognize high school seniors who have participated in the league for at least five years, with one year in the high school division, and who have demonstrated their commitment to the league and the community.
Labowitz and Levy graduated this month from Lower Merion High School while Shields graduated from the Baldwin School.
Labowitz, who will play field hockey for Kutztown University in the fall, played in the league for 8 years. A varsity field hockey and lacrosse player, Labowitz fondly remembers trying to imitate Kobe Bryant moves on the court—even as a young player. "Main Line girls gave me a chance to meet and to get to know girls from all over," said Labowitz. "Whether those girls went to private school, public school or were home-schooled, we all had one common love and that was a love of basketball. To this day, I could fill a page up with the names of girls who have been on my teams throughout the year."
Levy, a six-year veteran of the MLGBA, is going to Shippensburg University to play field hockey. Well known for her intensity and competitiveness, Levy was a varsity field hockey and softball player at Lower Merion High School. "This league is not so much about winning or losing," she recalls. "It’s about having a good time playing a sport we love."
Shields, who is known for her fearless play on the field and the court, will play lacrosse and perhaps basketball at Franklin and Marshall in September. Captain of three varsity sports at Baldwin, Shields also worked as a league referee. "The MLGBA has formed me into the player I am today," says Shields who played in the league for eight years. "I learned how to play my heart out, but more importantly, I learned how to win with dignity and how to lose gracefully."
Founded in 1993, the MLGBA provides younger girls a fun introduction to organized basketball, lets them improve their athletic skills, and gives older girls a chance to play in challenging league competition. Research shows that playing sports provides girls with physical, mental and emotional benefits that last throughout their lifetimes. For more information, click on
