City Title Game Previews

Girls' Game

Who: No. 5 Good Counsel vs. No. 8 H.D. Woodson

When: 5:30 p.m., Verizon Center

Records: Good Counsel, 27-3; H.D. Woodson, 21-6

What to look for from Good Counsel: For the third straight game, Good Counsel will face an opponent that will try to get the Falcons out of their half-court offense by pushing the tempo with traps and pressure. Yet, Seton and Holy Cross each found that Good Counsel has skilled ballhandlers and exceptional passers to escape that pressure. In a half-court set, the Falcons are patient and disciplined, and will wait for an open shooter. Guards Katie Sheahin and Gillian Abshire have found success driving the lane and breaking down defenses; they haven't faced a team, though, that adjusts as quickly as Woodson does.

What to look for from H.D. Woodson: As a result of injuries, eligibility concerns and family issues, the defending city champion has only played the past few weeks with its complete team, and looked very impressive. Junior guard Ronika Ransford makes the Warriors go. She attacks the basket recklessly, and keys their full-court pressure. Senior guard Bernisha Pinkett, the team's leading scorer, is a consistent outside shooter, and senior Carleeda Green runs the offense smoothly. The decisive factor, though, is 6-foot-6 center Jeniece Johnson, the most outstanding player of last year's game. In addition to a nice jump hook and drop-step move, Johnson has a half-foot height advantage over Good Counsel's tallest player, allowing her to dominate the boards.

Intangibles: Good Counsel, which won City Titles in 2005 and '06 after going 10 years without an appearance in the game, has won at least 22 games in six straight seasons, and would match its winningest campaign with a victory here. Woodson is the first DCIAA team to play in this game four straight years, and has advanced for the 12th time since the girls' game debuted in 1990. Last year's victory, though, was the Warriors' first since 1992.

STARTERS: GOOD COUNSEL
5	G/F	Sarian Snyder	Sr.
11	G	Katie Sheahin	Sr.
15	G/F	Symone Lyles	Sr.
20	G/F	Kelsey Murphy	Jr.
33	G	Gillian Abshire	So.

STARTERS: H.D. WOODSON
3	G	Carleeda Green	Sr.
5	G	Ronika Ransford	Jr.
10	G	Bernisha Pinkett	Sr.
23	G	Shanice Parker	So.
50	C	Jeniece Johnson	Sr.

Boys' Game

Who: No. 3 DeMatha vs. No. 20 Ballou

When: 7:30 p.m., Verizon Center

Records: DeMatha 28-3; Ballou 21-9

What to look for from DeMatha: The Stags are on a roll, playing with plenty of confidence and winning their past 13 games. Point guard Quinn Cook is the team's floor leader and this might be one of DeMatha's most complete teams. Forward Jerian Grant was sensational in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference championship, while forward Naji Hibbert and guard Marcus Rouse also had key baskets as the Stags won close games against No. 6 Bishop McNamara and No. 5 Gonzaga.

What to look for from Ballou: After defeating McKinley to win the DCIAA title, Knights Coach Jenkins Dormu didn't worry about tipping off strategy when he said, "Donte [Thomas] is the centerpiece of our program and we work everything around him." The 6-3 junior guard has led the DCIAA in scoring the past two years, and improved dramatically this season by learning to involve his teammates. Thomas can attack the basket and shoot from the outside, but he's most effective when other Knights are threats. Center Marquis Gentry, a 6-8 sophomore, played his best game of the season against McKinley, and needs to be aggressive on the boards. Senior guard Christopher Mozee is a physical defender, and could be a tough matchup for DeMatha.

Intangibles: The game has been lopsided this decade, with the Catholic league champion winning seven of the past eight years. Before Gonzaga's 78-44 victory over Theodore Roosevelt last year, DeMatha had won three consecutive City Titles, with a 33-point average margin of victory. Ballou has some momentum, winning their first DCIAA title this season, its third consecutive season with at least 20 victories.

STARTERS: DEMATHA
1	F	Naji Hibbert	Sr.
2	G	Quinn Cook	So.
5	C	Mikael Hopkins	So.
12	G	Marcus Rouse	Sr.
44	F	Jerian Grant	Jr.

STARTERS: BALLOU
24	G	Donte Thomas	Jr.
23	G	Christopher Mozee	Jr.
21	G	Eugene Watkins	Jr.
22	F	Carlos Baucum	Sr.
44	C	Marquis Gentry	So.

Admission: $15 to attend both games, $10 with student ID