Senior Christine Black attempts a floater over a Northwest opponent. (photo by Jack Armstrong ’15)

By Hunter Moore ’15

The girls’ varsity basketball team is off to an inconsistent start under first-year coach Tim Hobbs, with an overall 8-4 record. The girls’ division record is 2-2, which puts them in a tie for second in the division with Blake. (The Warriors finish a three-game stretch tonight at Blake, following games the previous two nights against division-leading Paint Branch and Kennedy. The Warrior was unable to cover these games before this issue went to print.)

“Not being able to practice before all of these games because of snow will definitely hurt us a little, but we know what we are going up against and are prepared mentally,” said senior captain Stacey O’Neale. “I definitely believe that we are an improved team since our first round of divisional match-ups.”

Of the girls’ four losses, three of them were against teams with dominant records: Gwynedd Mercy Academy, a private school in Pennsylvania (13-2), Paint Branch (12-1) and Walter Johnson (12-1). The girls, however, did lose to Springbrook (3-9) on January 15 after the Warriors lost their starting point guard, sophomore Amanda Allen, to illness for the second half.

Senior captain Nicole Stockinger remained optimistic about the Springbrook loss and felt that it was a wake-up call for the girls. “We went into Springbrook with no energy, and with everyone trying to do their own thing rather than working together,” said Stockinger. “We took this game for granted expecting a win to be given to us; we now know that is never the case, which should help us in the future.”

The girls did successfully bounce back from the loss and beat Richard Montgomery by 18 points in their very next game. The Warriors then beat Northwest by 40 points on January 23. Against the Jaguars, junior Delaney McMenamin led the way for the Warriors with 12 points, along with sophomore Sammy Sundell who contributed 11 points.

“Hard work pays off; we are going to keep our heads on straight and continue to work hard and focus on practice. We are going to work as a team in order to bounce back for the rest of the season. One loss to a bad team isn’t going to get to us,” said Allen, who transferred from Good Counsel.

Allen has been a great addition to the Warriors this season. She is second on the team in scoring and first in assists, helping to take some of the load off of Stockinger. O’Neale, who has committed to play basketball for Wesley College, also has been a major factor of the Warriors this season, providing much needed minutes and scoring.

The next major test for the Warriors will be at home on February 20 against Magruder who are second in their division.