Senior Taylor Corrothers squares up for three in the regional final.

by Dylan Sondike ‘24

The playoffs for girls’ basketball finished dramatically with a loss by a score of 55-42 against Damascus in the regional finals. After blowing out Watkins Mill in their first playoff game, the Warriors hosted Wootton where they narrowly won by a score of 55-48. They then headed to Damascus who they previously lost to earlier in the season in a low-scoring game in which the Warriors only managed to score 23 points. In the rematch against the Hornets, the Warriors jumped to an early lead but couldn’t hold on as the game progressed.

“Our biggest struggle this time might have been just handling the pressure of the moment/game,” said Coach Tammara Ross. “Multiple players were making poor decisions and missing shots they hadn’t missed all season. It’s the team that can execute under pressure that will win the biggest games.”

Despite the tough end to the season, the team made tremendous strides in Ross’ first year as the head coach. After finishing with a 12-11 record last winter, the Warriors significantly improved this season with 19 wins. With key senior leaders in Taylor Corrothers and Savannah Weisman, the team was well-positioned to make a run throughout the season. Ross emphasized how proud she was of her team from start to finish and how they never gave up. “They did nothing but deliver. I’m extremely proud of our success and am overwhelmingly excited to see how we continue to grow and improve on what we’ve already started,” added Ross, who
will coach a strong returning cast next season, including juniors Avery Graham and Avery Anderson, as well as standout freshman Aubree Thompson who led the team in scoring.

The boys’ basketball team’s season concluded with a 69-52 loss against rival Blake in the regional semifinals. After defeating Rockville in the opening round of regional playoffs by a score of 77-50, the boys returned to face Blake whom they had played close in the regular season. The Warriors beat Blake in January by a score of 86-76, followed by a heartbreaking loss towards the end of the season 68-67 in which Blake pulled ahead with 2 seconds left with a game-winning 3-pointer by 5-star recruit Baba Oladotun. In the playoff matchup, the Warriors came out trailing from the start and were forced to play from behind. With a lackluster performance on the boards and scoring, the Warriors could not overcome the slow start.

“Guys weren’t knocking down shots that normally fell, and we were getting down on ourselves,” said senior forward Kobi Gyan. “On the defensive end, Blake grabbed many offensive rebounds leading to many second and third-chance points. In the first couple of games, we were able to force them into taking tough shots, and capitalize by pushing the ball up the court off a rebound.”
The boys didn’t end the season as they hoped, but finishing with a 19-6 record is an impressive accomplishment. The girls concluded with a 19-4 record and a trip to the regional finals for the first time in over 30 years.