Stellar Regular Season Has Girls Basketball Looking to the Future

by Reagan Yates ‘19

The girls varsity basketball team wrapped up their regular season schedule with the best record they’ve had in years–18-4, after winning their last regular season game 58-50 against Blake on February 22. This record placed them sixth (out of 47 teams) in Maryland’s 4A division and seeded them #1 in section 2 of the 4A North region for playoffs–giving them a first round bye. So there was a real feeling of disappointment after the team lost to Blair 50-48 on March 5 in the second round of playoffs.
Sherwood started the sectional semi playoff game against the Blair Blazers with an early lead in the first few minutes. “I was impressed by the fact the girls came out prepared to play and we got off to a great start by jumping out to a 7-0 lead,” said Coach Tim Hobbs. The Blazers recognized how strong Sherwood was starting and reacted by stepping up on offense, making the game 11-10 at the end of the first quarter.
The Warriors fell behind early in the second quarter to a red-hot shooting Blair offense that they weren’t, initially, able to match. Turnovers also proved to be a big problem for the Warriors as the Blazers attacked all of Sherwood’s passing lanes and the Warriors could not find many chances for a shot. Late into the second quarter, the Warriors gained some momentum and found their offense, taking a 25-24 lead into halftime.
Throughout the third and early fourth quarter, the Warriors found and maintained a lead over Blair. However, when the Blazers subbed a few players and tied up the game towards the end of the fourth, the Warriors’ energy and determination seemed to fade, costing them the game.
“Our biggest issue in the game was how poorly we shot the basketball. Our percentage for the game was under 25 percent and we missed a lot of shots that we normally make,” explained Hobbs.
Despite the tough loss and unanticipated short playoff run, the Warriors had a successful season with an 18-win record and three players being named to the 4A All-Division teams. Senior Caroline Bidwick and junior Hannah St. Laurent made second team and freshman Angela Nnabue made first team.
“The girls consistently put the best interests of the group ahead of their own… this unselfishness played a huge part in our success this season,” said Hobbs.
“The team bonded really well this season which contributed to our great season,” added junior Nana Kwagyen.
Hobbs is proud of the success of this year’s team and how the season went. He is also very excited about the future of the program as both the JV and varsity teams have had one of their best seasons in a long time. “We should be in a great position to win every time we step on the court [next season].”