Basketball preview: Montgomery County 4A girls

By Roman Stubbs,

Top teams

Gaithersburg (27-0), Whitman (14-10), Northwest (20-5)

Top players

F Janessa Fauntroy, Gaithersburg, 6-0, Jr.

G Kendra Meredith, Northwest, 5-4, Jr.

G Kiara Colston, Paint Branch, 5-7, Jr.;

Skinny: While two-time defending state champion Gaithersburg must replace its top two scorers in Colleen Marshall and Jackie Jackson, who both averaged about 17 points per game for last season’s 27-0 team, the Trojans are reloaded on the perimeter with junior forward Janessa Fauntroy (8 ppg) and guard Deja Rollins (5.3 ppg). . . . Whitman graduated six players, including its top four scorers from last season, but return a veteran core of five seniors that should make the Vikings one of the most experienced teams in Montgomery County this winter. . . . Northwest’s depth is considerable, given that the Jaguars return seven seniors after winning 20 games last season…Springbrook lost over half of its scoring production from last season’s 18-8 team and will rely heavily on senior forward Jasmin Dancy (13 ppg) . . . Paint Branch Coach Rochelle Coleman returns perhaps the best guard tandem in the county in juniors Kiara Colston (13.9 ppg) and Jasmine White (5.7 ppg).

Related: Prince George’s 4A preview | Prince George’s 3A/2A/1A preview Montgomery 3A/2A | Howard preview Anne Arundel preview | WCAC preview Girls’ rankings: The Post Top 20 All-Met Watch: A look at the area’s top players