Court Report This Week in Local High School Basketball
Tourney Rematches Give Seneca Valley Sweet Redemption
Paint Branch senior Khalilah Quigley, shown in 2007, scored 27 points last month in a win over Bethesda-Chevy Chase.
(By Toni L. Sandys -- The Washington Post)
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Thursday, January 8, 2009; Page GZ18
After losing to Northwest by three points Dec. 9 and to Quince Orchard by one Dec. 16, the Seneca Valley girls' coaches and players were left with the feeling that they should have won and the desire for a rematch.
The Screaming Eagles got that chance in the Sugarloaf Shootout at Poolesville, and they took full advantage.
Seneca Valley won the four-team event at the end of last month by prevailing in another close game with Northwest, 60-57, and soundly beating Quince Orchard, 54-44.
"You don't often get an opportunity to play two 4A foes [again] when you're 3A," Screaming Eagles Coach Todd Bumgardner said. "It's a satisfying feeling."
Seneca Valley left the tournament with a 6-2 record, giving the team as many wins as last season, when they finished 6-16.
Seneca Valley is accomplishing its turnaround without seniors. The Screaming Eagles have five freshmen and six juniors, including the formidable backcourt of Kelsey Wolfe (19 points a game) and Audrey Cunningham (16.7).
They also added Holy Cross transfer Kiana Murphy (8.5 points a game ), a 6-1 center who gives the team a post presence it didn't have before.
"It's easier to get shots [for the guards] because they have to pay attention to the post now," Wolfe said. . . .
Defending 3A champion Paint Branch had its 31-game winning streak snapped with a pair of losses at the Lady Blazer Classic in New York over the holiday break. But as is often the case when teams travel to face elite competition, the experience proved more important than the results.
"There's a difference in New York basketball compared with Maryland basketball," said Panthers Coach Heather Podosek, after her team lost to South Shore (N.Y.), 68-63, and to Murry Bergtraum, 84-62. "They're strong, they're fast, they've got handles, there's a lot of street-ball type game. They're very, very physical, and that was a really good learning experience for us. We had to battle."
In the Panthers' own league, that probably won't be the case.
Before leaving for New York, Paint Branch played what many consider their top competition in the Montgomery 3A/2A/1A East, Bethesda-Chevy Chase, which entered the game 5-0.
