THE GAZETTE
Wednesday, December 4, 2013 z
Page B-3
HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS’ BASKETBALL PREVIEW
Private ranks are wide open Good Counsel’s rebuilding allows other teams to step forward n
BY
NICK CAMMAROTA STAFF WRITER
During the holiday season, most students are home with their families, which sometimes requires a fair amount of traveling. But for the members of Connelly School of the Holy Child’s girls’ basketball team, their post-Thanksgiving trip took them a bit farther. Jamie Ready’s team spent the week in the Bahamas on the aptly-named Paradise Island where they played three games and also took in the championship game of the Battle 4 Atlantis men’s college basketball tournament. The Tigers, who traveled to DisneyWorld last year to kick off the season in style, played games against teams from Canada and Kentucky and bonded in a way of which many other teams can only dream. “I have six freshmen on my team and a sophomore,” said Ready, now entering her fifth season. “From that aspect it really benefitted us from a team building perspective.” These trips provide more than a bonding opportunity, however. They help elevate a program to a different class. Much like what first-year Academy of the Holy Cross coach Clyde Singleton has planned for his talented team — trips to New York to face nationallyranked powerhouses in Christ the King and Long Island Lutheran. It’s all part of the budding private school girls’ basketball scene in Montgomery County. At the same time, Our Lady of Good Counsel, long a dominant force in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference and beyond, lost five seniors from last year’s team to graduation and is in the process of rebuilding. So does that open the door for another team to lay claim to Montgomery County private school dominance? “When it came to the Bahamas trip, the girls had to miss two days of school,” Ready said. “I went through a lot to get it approved and part of it was a comparison of what Good Counsel and St. John’s and those schools do for their players.” For years, the Falcons have set the standard of excellence in Montgomery County as Bullis School, Holy Cross and Holy Child, among others, chased the four-time WCAC champs. But this season appears as though it will present an opportunity for another team to
GREG DOHLER/THE GAZETTE
A.J. Cabbagestalk (right) transferred from Grace Brethren to Montrose Christian. He is one of an entire roster of new players for the top-ranked Mustangs.
BOYS
FILE PHOTO
Academy of the Holy Cross’ Jillian Dunston (right), who is committed to the University of Michigan, is expected to be one of the top players in the county this winter. step to the forefront and establish itself in the national spotlight. “At Good Counsel, Splaine somehow puts 12 kids together and makes them all play as one every year no matter what,” Singleton said. “It’s just funny. I think that’s what really attracts a lot of people to the conference. The other day I had seven kids in the gym that all were considering us, Good Counsel and St. John’s. The draw is that they’re going to play at a highly competitive level.” Among the five seniors who graduated from last year’s Falcons team was University of Virginia recruit Amanda Fioravanti. Sophomore Kendall Breese will attempt to fill the void left by last year’s leading scorer at the point. “This is a building process. We’re trying to rebuild our team again,” Good Counsel coach Tom Splaine said in an interview with The Gazette this summer. Meanwhile, at Holy Cross, forward Rhamat Alhassan (University of Florida) and guard-forward Jillian Dunston (University of Michigan) re-
turn to headline a team that is playing one of the more difficult schedules in the area. And at Holy Child, while the competitive balance of the ISL might not be as intense as the WCAC, Ready — a St. John’s graduate — has noticed an increase in the amount of attention her program is receiving. “I think that Holy Child is starting to get a lot more attention than we ever have,” she said. “Now all of sudden for us, things are starting to change and girls are starting to make decisions to come and play for us who might have gone elsewhere.” Who comes out on top this season — in both the WCAC and Montgomery County private school basketball in general — remains to be seen, but the games will almost assuredly be competitive. “Some used to consider our conference [WCAC] the best girls’ basketball conference in the country,” Singleton said. “I think it’s been that way forever. It’s never dropped. It’s been really good forever.” ncammarota@gazette.net
FILE PHOTO
Academy of the Holy Cross senior Rhamat Alhassan (right), who is committed to Florida for volleyball, is expected to be one of the top players in the county this winter.
LAST YEAR’S TOP SCORERS Boys Name, school Brandon Thompson, Covenant Life Justin Senou, Richard Montgomery* Nick Griffin, Magruder* Alex Sotomayor, Watkins Mill* Donnell Diggs, Takoma* Marcus Murray, Kennedy* Byron Hawkins, Good Counsel Andrew Robinson, Springbrook Ethan Walfish, Jewish Day* Marcus Adkinson, St. Andrew’s
PRESEASON HOW THEY RANK
The 10 best boys’ basketball teams in Montgomery County to start the season as ranked by The Gazette’s six-member sports staff:
Rank
PPG 20.2 19.8 18.7 18.6 18.4 18.2 17.8 17.6 17.2 16.9
Girls Name, school PPG Jasmine Dancy, Springbrook* 20.5 Amanda Fiorvanti, Good Counsel* 20.2 Eboni Staple, Don Bosco* 19.5 Kiara Colston, Paint Branch 17.8 Laurie Kostecka, Clarksburg 17.2 Daisa Harris, Paint Branch 16.5 Kelli Prange, Damascus 16.0 Lynee Belton, Bullis 13.9 Sherri Addison, Wootton* 13.8 Taylor McCarley, Holy Cross* 13.8 * Graduaded last year
School
1.
Montrose
2.
Bullis
3.
BRIAN LEWIS/THE GAZETTE
Returning starters Lynee Belton (left) and Kirby Porter (right) are one of the reasons why the Bullis School opens the season ranked No. 1.
Last season Points
19-5 60
GIRLS
The 10 best girls’ basketball teams in Montgomery County to start the season as ranked by The Gazette’s six-member sports staff:
Rank
School
Last season Points
1.
Bullis
23-4 54
2.
Damascus
22-3 53
Springbrook
13-10 48
3.
Paint Branch
21-4 47
4.
Blair
15-9 41
4.
Good Counsel
27-6 39
5.
Einstein
11-14 28
5.
Whitman
21-5 33
6.
Clarksburg
11-13 27
6.
Holy Cross
13-14 32
7.
Magruder
24-3 25
7.
Gaithersburg
18-7 27
8.
Churchill
18-6 19
8.
Kennedy
15-9 19
9.
St. Andrew’s
15-10 10
9.
Poolesville
19-6 12
10.
Rockville
12-11 7
10.
Walter Johnson
18-6 10
Others receiving votes: Poolesville 6; Georgetown Prep 4; Paint Branch 1.
Best bet Churchill at Paint Branch, 7 p.m. Friday
Two strong teams last year, two mysterious teams this year. The Bulldogs begin their season with a new coach; the Panthers begin with an entirely rebuilt roster.
22-4 60
Others receiving votes: Thomas S. Wootton 2;
Winston Churchill 1.
Best bet Whitman at Good Counsel, 7 p.m. Friday
The Vikings return two starters from a region championship team and usual top-ranked Good Counsel is starting over with five new starters this season.