The Washington Post - USA (2022-02-22)

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22 , 2022. THE WASHINGTON POST EZ SU D5

FROM STAFF REPORTS

On Friday night in Arlington, the revamped National Christian boys’ basketball program took another step toward reestablishing itself as one of the best teams in the area by winning the first Met- ro Private School Conference championship game. “We’re building a foundation for National Christian on nights like tonight,” senior point guard Rob Lawson said after a 67-51 win over Fairfax Christian, “so that in the next couple of years, it will be a powerhouse school.” The ninth-ranked Eagles led for most of the night, holding the Cardinals at bay despite a vocal crowd and a few scoring surges. The MPSC was formed this season; it’s a new venture meant to bring together eight private programs from across the Dis- trict, Maryland and Virginia. This academic year, the conference was active only in boys’ basketball, but its leaders are looking to add more members and sports in the future. “Definitely involved some travel — the league is spread out a bit,” Coach Kenny Johnson said of the debut season. “But that’s just another challenge for us. It challeng- es these guys’ ability to focus.... For us, all year long we’ve been trying to chase adversity to make us stronger.” The Eagles, formerly members of the Capital Beltway League, quickly emerged as the team to beat in the new conference. They sat atop the standings for most of the season, finishing with just two losses. Johnson was named coach of the year, and junior guard Isa- iah Coleman was named player of the year. With a conference crown in hand, National Christian has one more postseason event remain- ing: It will travel to Rock Hill, S.C., for the Big Shots Prep Nationals tournament this week. It is the last trip in a winter full of them, and the mission will be the same as ever. “There are going to be a lot of good teams down there, but we’re going to go and get that one done, too,” Coleman said. — Michael Errigo

Torn ACL can’t ruin big night Last week against Kennedy, Churchill girls’ coach Pete McMa- hon let senior guard Irene Hara- mis start under one condition: She couldn’t move from the right corner. Haramis tore her left ACL in September in an AAU game, but she had badgered her coaches all season to allow her to step onto the court for senior night. When Churchill tipped off in Potomac, Haramis stood by herself on the opposite side of the court as the Cavaliers began a possession. Churchill guard Chelsea Calkins soon stole a pass and pushed the ball ahead to Haramis. Nerves flooded Haramis, as she knew she might get just one chance to score. Her three-point attempt went through the hoop. Haramis, wearing a knee brace, erupted in tears, and McMahon called a timeout so her teammates could embrace her. “High school basketball meant so much, and not having two years to be able to play was really, really devastating,” said Haramis, who played on the varsity team her first two seasons before her junior season was canceled because of the pandemic. “It was so relieving just seeing the ball go in the hoop.” In the fourth quarter, with the Bulldogs’ win clinched, McMa- hon put Haramis back in the game. Haramis, who will play for Division III Dickinson College (Pa.) in the fall, faced tighter defense this time, but she sank another corner three-pointer. — Kyle Melnick

Friendship Tech closes strong Friendship Tech Coach Dwayne Shackleford preached to his young team all season that the difficult practices and tough nonconference games would eventually lead to a championship. That day came Sunday at the University of the District of Co- lumbia as the Titans (15-7) did the Griddy dance, trophy in hand, on their way to the locker room after knocking off perennial power Friendship Collegiate (15-5) for the first time in three attempts. They scored a 67-58 victory in the D.C. Public Charter Schools Ath-

letic Association AA title game. “I know you couldn’t see it when we were [losing] early and it seemed like I was only pointing out the things that you all did wrong,” Shackleford told his team after the win. “But this is the moment right here that I was getting you ready for.” Montez Steele, the sole senior, steadied the Titans in the second quarter, and the score was tied at 28 at halftime. “We came into the huddle and told each other that we had to go on a run and break their back, because, even though we were down a little bit, we could feel they were bending,” Steele said. “We have a very young team, so if we were going to win, I was going to have to lead this team. So I knew what had to be done.” Friendship Tech opened the final quarter with a 13-0 run spurred by an eight-point burst from freshman Daniel Bumpass to effectively end the game. “To have the trust of Coach Shack and my teammates to even be in a game that important meant everything to me,” he said. The Titans’ next challenge is the D.C. State Athletic Associa- tion tournament, which begins Monday. — Tramel Raggs

Woodbridge wins district title Woodbridge was mediocre lon- ger than the Vikings had hoped. With its fourth coach in four years, the girls’ team started the season 3-4. But the Vikings rallied to win 14 of 16 — including Thursday’s Cardinal District championship game, 42-41, over Potomac. They had learned something over time: They just had to sacrifice a little. Senior Reina Washington, for instance, sacrificed her shots in favor of defense and energy; the junior has grabbed more than five rebounds per game despite her 5-foot-4 stature. Senior Macken- zie Burke, another leader, had seen last year’s 13 points per game tumble to five this season. Then there’s senior Amani Me- lendez — “the most offensively gifted player I’ve ever coached,” said Coach Mark Hines, who pre- viously guided the Battlefield

boys’ team. Melendez — who has deep three-point range, a desire to draw contact inside and, as she puts it, “a floater that’s like that” — saved her greatest sacrifice for the final moments of the district championship game, during which she scored 24 points. Trailing Potomac by a point after a timeout, the Vikings had Melendez come toward the ball off a screen from junior Tati Smith. But Melendez was a decoy. The ball went straight to a wide- open Smith for the winning layup. “I knew Tati was going to make it because she wants it just as bad as me,” Melendez said. “I’ve wait- ed a long time. My freshman year, I got to experience the district, state and regional championships, but I wasn’t a major con- tributor on those teams. So to be a leader on this team, back in that position again, you know how bad I must have wanted it.” — Spencer Nusbaum

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL NOTES

Eagles take home the first MPSC title

Players of the week

F Kamari Campbell, D unbar The senior’s 12 points, 17 rebounds, five steals and five blocks in a victory over Banneker earned her the D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association tournament MVP award. G Kyle Ables, P otomac Falls The senior hit a driving layup with less than a minute left to hand Potomac Falls a one-point win over Stone Bridge in the Potomac District championship game. F Delaney Thomas, S t. John’s The junior led the way with 20 points as the Cadets earned a conference win at Paul VI. G Karris Scott, A rundel The senior scored 22 points to lead the Wildcats past Meade, 69-51, for the Anne Arundel County title.

Games of the week Churchill boys vs. Damascus, 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at Richard Montgomery C.H. Flowers girls vs. Oxon Hill, 6 p.m. Wednesday at Wise Independent School League championship, 3:30 p.m. Sunday at Georgetown Day

For the first time this winter, several teams show up in these rankings with championships to their names.

Top-10 programs St. Stephen’s/ St. Agnes, Wilson and National Christian earned conference titles this past week. The Tigers were first, capturing the D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association crown Wednesday with a 59-47 win over Coolidge. Then came the Eagles, who emerged victorious from the first Metro Private School Conference tournament after beating Fairfax Christian in Friday’s final. Finally, the Saints won the Interstate Athletic Conference on Saturday with a 35-point rout of rival Episcopal.

Paul VI (23-3) Last ranked: 1

The Panthers got wins over No. 3 Bishop McNamara and No. 20 St. John’s.

Sidwell Friends (24-1) LR: 2

The Quakers enter the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament as the team to beat after wrapping up the regular season with wins over St. James and the Potomac School.

Bishop McNamara (19-3) LR: 3

The Mustangs fell to No. 1 Paul VI but finished the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference regular season with a 12-2 record.

St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes (18-3)
LR: 8

Saturday’s dominant victory gave the Saints their third straight conference title.

DeMatha (17-6) LR: 4

The Stags picked up an impressive win over No. 7 Gonzaga to end the WCAC regular season but dropped a nonconference game to Hagerstown’s St. Maria Goretti.

Hayfield (25-0) LR: 6

The Hawks’ dominant campaign continued in the National District tournament, in which they took home the title with three wins by more than 25 points.

Gonzaga (16-7) LR: 5

The Eagles picked up a conference victory over Archbishop Carroll but couldn’t close the regular season with a win at No. 5 DeMatha.

Wilson (26-4) LR: 9

Wednesday’s DCIAA championship victory is the program’s fourth in the last five years.

National Christian (29-7)
LR: 10

The Eagles beat Fairfax Christian for the third time this year, holding off the Cardinals in the MPSC championship game.

Patriot (22-0) LR: 11

The Pioneers beat rival Battlefield for a third time in the Cedar Run District title game.

South Lakes (21-2) LR: 12

The red-hot Seahawks topped Madison to win the Concorde District tournament.

Archbishop Spalding (22-9)
LR: 7

The Cavaliers continue to tumble, suffering losses to Pallotti and Mount St. Joseph.

Churchill (19-1) LR: 14

The Bulldogs closed out the regular season with wins over Rockville and Kennedy.

Bowie (14-1) LR: 13

The Bulldogs split a back-to-back with Eleanor Roosevelt.

St. Charles (14-2) LR: 18

The Spartans picked up wins over North Point and La Plata.

Westlake (17-2) LR: NR

The Wolverines closed the regular season with a 12-game winning streak.

Episcopal (16-7) LR: 16

After a rough outing against No. 4 St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes in the IAC title game, the Maroon turns its attention to the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association tournament.

Douglass (14-3) LR: NR

The Eagles’ three losses were against ranked opponents.

South County (18-5) LR: 17

The Stallions fell to West Potomac by two points in the Patriot District semifinals.

St. John’s (13-11) LR: 19

The Cadets fell to No. 1 Paul VI to drop to .500 in WCAC play.

Dropped out: No. 15 Bishop O’Connell, No. 20 Bullis

On the bubble: Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Eleanor Roosevelt, Friendship Tech Prep, Potomac Falls, St. Andrew’s

BOYS’ TOP 20

Dunbar won the area’s first major
championship last week when it
beat Banneker for the D.C.
Interscholastic Athletic Association
title. In the coming weeks, many
more teams will join the list of local
champions.

This week, the Independent School
League will conduct its postseason
tournament. No. 1 Sidwell Friends
is the overwhelming favorite, but
No. 6 Georgetown Visitation has
won the league for 14 consecutive
seasons. The Washington Catholic
Athletic Conference tournament
also begins this week, with No. 3
Bishop McNamara the favorite to
defend its title.

Virginia crowned district
champions last week, including
No. 8 Madison (Concorde), No. 10
Woodgrove (Potomac), No. 11
Osbourn Park (Cedar Run) and
No. 16 Robinson (Patriot). Virginia’s
state playoffs begin this week.

So do Maryland’s, but not before
county champions are crowned
Wednesday in Montgomery and
Prince George’s counties and the
Southern Maryland Athletic
Conference.

Sidwell Friends (22-0)
Last ranked: 1

The Quakers continued their
national dominance with a 73-58
win over New Jersey powerhouse
St. John Vianney.

New Hope Academy (22-2)
LR: 2

The Tigers capped their regular
season with an 86-31 win over
TPLS Christian Academy.

Bishop McNamara (18-4) LR: 3

The Mustangs won five WCAC
games last week.

St. John’s (15-4) LR: 5

The Cadets are peaking at the right
time, having defeated No. 7 Paul VI
and New York power South Shore.

Good Counsel (18-3) LR: 6

The Falcons beat Bishop O’Connell,
Elizabeth Seton and Archbishop
Carroll last week.

Georgetown Visitation (18-3)
LR: 7

The ISL powerhouse dominated
Stone Ridge and St. Andrew’s.

Paul VI (17-7) LR: 4

The Panthers fell to No. 15 Bishop
Ireton and No. 4 St. John’s.

Madison (21-2) LR: 8

The Warhawks beat Oakton, 56-30,
for the Concorde District title.

Clarksburg (20-0) LR: 9

The Coyotes crushed Watkins Mill,
Northwest and Paint Branch to
conclude the regular season.

Woodgrove (24-0) LR: 10

The Wolverines beat Briar Woods,
60-31, for the Potomac District
crown.

Osbourn Park (21-1) LR: 11

The Yellow Jackets beat Patriot,
5 8-36, for the Cedar Run District
title.

Howard (15-0) LR: 12

The Lions claimed the Howard
County title.

Maret (15-6) LR: 13

The Frogs topped Holy Child and
Bullis.

Glen Burnie (19-0) LR: 14

The Gophers beat Old Mill, 68-50,
for the Anne Arundel County
championship.

Bishop Ireton (18-10) LR: 18

The Cardinals beat No. 7 Paul VI
before falling to No. 3 Bishop
McNamara.

Robinson (21-2) LR: 16

The Rams beat Lake Braddock,
5 3-43, for the Patriot District
championship.

Meridian (20-1) LR: 17

The Mustangs continued handling
their business, beating Monroe and
Culpeper County.

Potomac School (18-1) LR: 20

The Panthers defeated
St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes,
H olton-Arms and Flint Hill.

C.H. Flowers (12-1) LR: 15

The Jaguars beat Parkdale a day
after falling to their Prince George’s
County counterpart.

National Christian (17-9)
LR: Not ranked

At a tournament in North Carolina,
the Eagles beat Scotland Campus
(Pa.) and Valor Christian (Ga.) but
fell to Canada’s Lincoln Prep.

Dropped out: No. 19 Parkdale

On the bubble: Broad Run,
Dunbar, River Hill, Whitman,
Yorktown

GIRLS’ TOP 20

Sunday is usually the one day Wein and Ling escape skating, but the pair arrived at the rink early for an 11 a.m. session. They carried clipboards full of paper- work as they directed a group of 25 youngsters in beginner skating lessons. When Wein and Ling instructed the children to skate backward, most traveled across the ice. But one boy kept falling until Ling and Wein guided him to the opposite wall. “I hope that next generation doesn’t get turned away from the sport because they think it’s unfair,” Wein said, “or they just don’t want to be a part of that.” Most coaches haven’t noticed a difference in skaters’ objec- tives, noting they get more support and autonomy in development in the United States than in Russia, where skaters often begin Olympic training as children. Shirley Hughes, a Denver- based coach who trained U.S. Olympian Ashley Wagner, wor- ries young skaters will feel pressure to replicate Valieva’s move- ments and difficult jumps. Va- lieva was the first woman to land a quad at the Olympics. “That’s what I’m worried about — they’ll say, ‘What good does it do to try because they’re not going to choose me any- way?’ ” Hughes said. “I tell them they can take their own path and they can do as well as possible and not worry about the quads.” Audrey Weisiger, a veteran coach from Fairfax Ice Arena, believes interest in skating will persist. During a recent children’s class, she asked the group about the Olympics. “There’s this big competition coming up,” Weisiger recalled telling the children. “Aren’t you excited?” “Yes, yes, Ms. Audrey,” they responded. “Okay,” Weisiger said. “What’s it called?” “The Cardinal Classic,” they yelled, referring to their upcom- ing Northern Virginia competition. “Most of the kids that skate in America are skating because they like it,” Weisiger said. “American skating schools, we’re an open house. You come in, you sign up, you pay your lesson fee, and you skate. That’s not going to change.”

Kayla Ruble in Detroit contributed to this report.

the culmination of a journey, one that includes years of training, competing and persevering. The process is difficult for every skater. In 2018, Ling, who is from Ontario, posted her profile on a skating website in search of a dance partner. She was prepared to move anywhere to pursue her Olympic dreams; she eventually found Wein and settled in Rock- ville. As the pair have ascended the ranks, no detail, on or off the ice, has been too small. Coaches have scrutinized their diets, knowing one mistake could end their Olympic goals. So they were particularly frustrated that Va- lieva was allowed to compete after testing positive for a pro- hibited substance. But after watching Valieva place fourth and cry as coaches scolded her, Wein and Ling were struck by the pressure she carried. Ling also felt concerned as she viewed the Russians who medaled — Anna Shcherbakova (gold) and Alexandra Trusova (silver) — express their dissatis- faction. “You don’t want the younger kids to see that, like, ‘Oh, they won the Olympics, but they’re still upset.’ So what do they have to look forward to?” Ling said. “None of it was good. There’s a lot of issues in skating. But this one really pushed it out, and people saw it and are upset about it. Hopefully, some things will change.”

practices 16 hours per week at the club and is on the U.S. Figure Skating National Development Team at the intermediate level. “I love looking forward to the Olympics,” she said. “The skaters really push me and want to make me achieve that goal.” She watched every moment of this year’s competition, study- ing the routines and dissecting the way the skaters moved with the music. She had never seen anything like the women’s free skate, in which Valieva strug- gled amid crippling pressure and the joy was sucked out of the arena. “It was a disaster, honestly,” she said. “It’s not something you want to look up to.” The women’s competition in Beijing has been a particularly fraught topic in skating clubs, with much of the discussion focused on the role of the coaches and the vulnerability of Va- lieva. “Normally, figure skating is not like that,” said 14-year-old Erin Biederman of Franklin, Mich. “At competitions, it’s normally really supportive.” Even with all the drama swirl- ing around this year’s competition, Biederman, who is working toward making it to the U.S. nationals for juniors, said it hasn’t changed her attitude about the sport or her goals. “I still want to go to the Olympics,” she said. The Winter Games represent

f igure skating changed this winter. They were upset when Russian skater Kamila Valieva was allowed to compete in the Olympic women’s individual competition in Beijing after she tested positive for a banned substance. The harsh reality of the sport continued to set in as they watched the pressure that coaches placed on the 15-year-old and her teammates. “It’s not a good look,” said Wein, who with Ling qualified for the world junior championships in Bulgaria later this year. “You don’t want the potential next generation to be seeing this and getting kind of pushed away from the sport and kind of re- pulsed by some of the things that are going on.” Wein, 20, and Ling, 17, will continue pursuing the Olympics, but they worry the controversy could discourage skaters from entering the sport. They visited the rink on their lone day off this week to provide children the amusement and encouragement that helped their passion flour- ish. The controversy was the dominant story line of the Beijing Games, one with ripples that the sport could feel for years. Olym- pians are awaiting medals, advo- cates are demanding governance reform, and a new generation of skaters waits to learn what the sport will look like as they seek to fulfill their own Olympic dreams. The Games formally ended with Sunday’s Closing Ceremo- nies, but across the country, American skaters are still flock- ing to local rinks; training for local, regional and national competitions; and hoping they some- day might be able to perform on the world’s biggest stage. In the Detroit Skating Club in Bloomfield Township, Mich., 11- year-old Emelia Nemirovsky was on the ice practicing triple jumps with one of her coaches. Banners for 1998 Olympic champion Tara Lipinski and 2014 Olympic champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White hung over- head as Nemirovsky glided across the ice. Nemirovksy’s mother and grandmother, who are both Rus- sian, put her on the ice and started teaching her how to skate when she was just a pudgy-faced 4-year-old. Now, the sixth-grader

SKATE FROM D1

Olympic controversy can’t dull young skaters’ spirit

KATHERINE FREY/THE WASHINGTON POST “You don’t want the potential next generation to be seeing this and getting kind of pushed away from the sport,” C aleb Wein said.

The Washington Post - USA (2022-02-22)

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