D4 EZ M2 THE WASHINGTON POST.TUESDAY, MARCH 1 , 2022
South County. The team is seeking
its first state title.
“Every time we reach a mile-
stone, we celebrate it and then we
recognize that the job is not fin-
ished,” Rivers said. “We have two
out of the three trophies that we
talked about getting.”
— Michael Errigothan five points per game, but
Hairston said some area college
programs, including George Ma-
son and Howard — have ex-
pressed interest in her potential.
— Tramel RaggsPatriot’s perfection is tested
Patriot basketball has pro-
longed perfection. Now 25-0, Pa-
triot will host James River on
Friday in the Virginia state quar-
terfinals after a dramatic run
through the Class 6 Region B
bracket that included an 82-69
win over Battlefield in the region
final.
Patriot is one of nine local boys’
teams advancing to the state
bracket, joining Battlefield, Hay-
field, Fairfax, Loudoun County,
Loudoun Valley, Riverside, South
Lakes and Washington-Liberty.
Battlefield gave the undefeated
Pioneers their latest test as the
Prince William County rivals
faced off for the fourth time this
year.
In the Virginia playoffs, the
region final is not a win-or-go-
home contest; both the winner
and the finalist advance to the
state bracket. That fact, in addi-
tion to the emotional nature of the
team’s 58-56 win over Potomac in
Wednesday’s region semifinal,
had Pioneers Coach Sherman Riv-
ers worried about his team’s en-
ergy level.
In fact, he was glad the Pioneers
were set to face Battlefield, be-
cause he knew the rivalry aspect
of this matchup would guarantee
his program would be ready for it.
As he suspected, the Pioneers
came out with plenty of energy
and built a 26-point lead. A furi-
ous rally from the Bobcats cut that
to two with a few minutes remain-
ing. But the Pioneers, having sur-
vived a multitude of close games
over the course of their dream
regular season, were not about to
start panicking.
“We put enough pressure on
ourselves to perform that situa-
tions in-game haven’t really got-
ten to our guys,” Rivers said.
The Pioneers kept their heads
and made their foul shots to close
out an 82-69 victory. This state
quarterfinal trip will be their first
since 2019, when they lost tomoved to Waldorf.
“It was tough because I didn’t
want to leave my team,” Wilkes
said. “Once I found out I was going
to Stone, I was like, ‘Yeah, this
might be a good fit for me.’ ”
As a sophomore, Wilkes
emerged as a star, and he im-
proved his offensive savvy during
the coronavirus pandemic while
training outside a local middle
school.
Wilkes hopes to finish his sen-
ior season by at least returning to
the Maryland 2A semifinals for
the first time since his freshman
year. In the first round of the
playoffs Friday, Wilkes had 15
points, 10 rebounds and four
blocks in Stone’s 75-21 win over
Calvert.
— Kyle MelnickDancing guard lifts Flowers
Two years ago, C.H. Flowers
guard Jai’den Anderson entered
high school with a difficult deci-
sion to make. Should she continue
her first love of dance by joining
the cheerleading squad or explore
her growing interest in basket-
ball?
“The plan coming into high
school was to try and balance out
both basketball and dancing,” An-
derson said. “But when I met
Coach [Roderick] Hairston and
[assistant coach Craig Brown] I
realized that I wanted to become a
basketball player.”
To this day, Anderson’s team-
mates and coaches will jokingly
refer to the junior as “pompom” or
“twinkle toes” during practice.
And as Flowers (12-1) gears up for
another Maryland 4A playoff ap-
pearance, Anderson’s time as a
dancer has the Jaguars’ coaching
staff excited about what the future
may hold.
“We always joke with her about
being a cheerleader, but a lot of
the skills that she obtained while
doing all of that is what’s allowing
her to play such an important role
on our team,” Hairston said. “I
can’t say for certain, but things
like her quick second jump, her
footwork and just overall agility,
in my opinion, are directly tied to
her past as a dancer.”
Anderson is just a complemen-
tary player, averaging a little moreThe game was followed by the
PVAC boys’ championship game,
featuring Jewish Day against San-
dy Spring Friends.
Sandy Spring went undefeated
during the regular season and
cemented its status Saturday
night with a calm and confident
48-35 win for the program’s first
conference title since 2018.
The PVAC doesn’t use a shot
clock, so a game can take many
forms. This game turned into a
defensive battle, with each basket
mattering that much more.
“We feel like we can play any
style. It’s a smart team,” Coach
Azhar Shamsudeen said. “We’ve
played games in the 70s, and then
in the semifinal it was 30-19....
We just roll with it, ready to com-
pete.”
Senior Jayden Rainey earned
MVP honors after leading the
team with 15 points.
“This season has been about
taking strides, starting with sum-
mer league all the way through
this season,” Rainey said. “We’ve
shown a lot of heart and a lot of
effort.”
— Michael ErrigoWilkes wins SMAC honor
Jacory Wilkes has always been
taller than his peers, and as he sat
around his house one summer in
middle school, his mother,
Latisha, wanted him to try basket-
ball.
Wilkes didn’t know what to
expect when he arrived for an
AAU tryout with the Maryland
Mavericks at Oxon Hill Middle
School. But as Wilkes ran up and
down the court and finished
layups during a three-man weave
drill at the start of the session, he
became enamored with the sport.
The 6-foot-8 forward’s budding
passion led him to stardom with
Thomas Stone. Last week, Wilkes
was named the Southern Mary-
land Athletic Conference’s player
of the year. The senior is averaging
17.8 points, 11.4 rebounds and 2.2
blocks.
After middle school, Wilkes
was excited to join Prince George’s
County’s rich basketball history.
He grew up in Upper Marlboro
and planned to play for Wise his
freshman season before his family“This whole weekend I had
been crazy nervous, but I knew
when I stepped on the court that
would just go away,” Cougars for-
ward Jenny Kagan said. “Because
really I was just looking forward
to it. So once I was out there, with
the fans and everything, it went
away and we won a champion-
ship.”
Kagan led Hebrew Academy
through a strong first half, scoring
25 of the team’s 41 points. She
finished with 36 after the Cougars
spent the second half holding off
Jewish Day.
“Two weeks ago, if [Jewish Day]
had gone on that run in the third
quarter, my girls may not have
fought back, may have just let
them have it,” Pinnock said. “So
just to watch this team grow from
the first time I went in there and
met them for a practice to tonight,
it’s been really special.”FROM STAFF REPORTSIn a back hallway at Richard
Montgomery High on Saturday
night, Hebrew Academy girls’ bas-
ketball coach Danilo Pinnock ap-
proached the locker room with
trepidation. His fears were real-
ized when he opened the door and
a stream of water flew out into the
hallway.
The first-year coach had just
watched his team defeat Jewish
Day, 66-52, in the Potomac Valley
Athletic Conference champion-
ship game, so he knew this cel-
ebration might get him wet. He
had no choice but to walk through
the doorway and embrace the
madness.
This was the first time the long-
time rivals had met for a confer-
ence title, and the crowd in Rock-
ville reflected the gravity of the
game.
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL NOTES
Hebrew Academy girls and Sandy Spring boys secure PVAC championships
Players of the week
G Mia Johnson, S t. Charles.
The junior scored 20 of her
game-high 35 points in the fourth
quarter of the Spartans’ first-round
playoff win over Huntingtown.G Cameron Gillus, S idwell
Friends. The junior led all scorers
with 19 points as the Quakers
completed a dominant season in
the Mid-Atlantic Athletic
Conference with a conference
tournament championship.G Hope Drake, B riar Woods.
The sophomore averaged 16.5
points and 6.5 rebounds last week
to secure her Falcons a spot in the
state playoffs. In the team’s first-
round win against Massaponax,
Drake knocked down the game-
sealing free throws.G Albert Mouring, Douglass.
The junior hit clutch shots in
overtime before making a game-
sealing deflection with 0.4 seconds
remaining as Douglass knocked off
Eleanor Roosevelt, 63-61, in the
Prince George’s County
championship game.Games to watch
Bethesda-Chevy Chase girls
at Churchill, 7 p.m. TuesdayLangley girls at Robinson,
time TBD SaturdayDCSAA Class AA girls
championship, 4 p.m. Sunday
at George Washington UniversityDCSAA Class AA boys
championship, 6 p.m. Sunday
at George Washington UniversityNote
This week’s boys’ and girls’
rankings will be published
Wednesday.CRAIG HUDSON FOR THE WASHINGTON POSTFreshman Jaquan Womack (23) and the Paul VI faithful react after his game-winning basket Monday.
CRAIG HUDSON FOR THE WASHINGTON POST
St. John’s had a chip on its shoulder vs. top-seeded Bishop McNamara, which led for just 12 seconds.BY MICHAEL ERRIGODug McDaniel had waited a
long time for this. With his team
trailing Bishop McNamara by
one in the closing seconds of the
Washington Catholic Athletic
Conference tournament cham-
pionship game, the Paul VI
senior dribbled near midcourt
and surveyed the defense. The
play was designed to get him
going toward the hoop for the
last shot, to have the Panthers’
long-held hopes for a conference
title in the hands of their battle-
tested star.
But as McDaniel entered a
crowded lane and the clock
ticked under five seconds, he
realized the moment did not
have to be his alone. He dumped
the ball down to the block,
where freshman Jaquan Wom-
ack was waiting.
Womack fought through two
defenders and banked the ball
high off the backboard. It fell
through, and McDaniel fell to
the court, covering his face with
an elbow, hiding his reaction to
Monday night’s 43-42 victory
from the world.
“I did it for him,” Womack
said of McDaniel. “The only
senior on this team, no one was
expecting him to be the one to
get the championship. I can’t
imagine a better game to send
him off with.”
This is the Panthers’ first
WCAC title since 2014, breaking
a skid in which they stacked
their roster with talent but ulti-
mately came up short. Before
McDaniel, there was a parade of
celebrated guards patrolling the
Paul VI backcourt, many of
whom are now starring in the
college ranks. But none of them
had been able to cradle the
WCAC championship trophy
and get swarmed by friends and
family members looking for a
picture.
McDaniel did that at Robin-
son Secondary in Fairfax County
on Monday, a permanent smile
on his face.
“I’ve been here four years, and
the greats before me haven’t
been able to do this,” said Mc-
Daniel, who had 12 points. “I
wanted this for them. I wanted
to bring one home.”
McDaniel was the only player
to finish in double digits for
No. 1 Paul VI (26-4) in a gritty
game. It was the type of contestthat No. 3 McNamara (21-4) so
often wins; the physical battles
are where the Mustangs are
most comfortable.
The Panthers, with boatloads
of speed, favor a transition
game, but Coach Glenn Farello
asked his players to adapt Mon-
day — and they did.
“We feel comfortable getting
into a half-court game because
our defense has been tremen-
dous all year,” Farello said.
“That’s a great McNamara team.
This is our third battle of the
year with them, and each one
came down to the final play of
the game.”
The Mustangs, playing in
their first conference champion-
ship game since 1995, seemed to
have the momentum all night
and ultimately took a one-point
lead with under 30 seconds to
play on a step-back jumper from
junior guard Jeremiah Quigley.
Womack said he was looking
for a foul on the final play. But
foul or basket, he had no doubt
he was going to shoot. After all,
big men are taught this from the
time they’re oversized middle-
schoolers: When you’re that
close to the hoop, go up with it.
“I believe in all my teammates
— freshman or senior, it doesn’t
matter,” McDaniel said. “I got it
to him, and I knew he’d make
the right decision.”WCAC BOYS’ BASKETBALL FINAL
Womack’s winner is w orth the wait
PAUL VI 43,
MCNAMARA 42It’s the first league title
for Panthers since 2014BY MICHAEL ERRIGOAround 8 p.m. Monday, the
St. John’s girls’ basketball team
found itself in a position both
familiar and not. The Cadets were
crowded around midcourt at Rob-
inson Secondary in Fairfax Coun-
ty, the Washington Catholic Ath-
letic Conference tournament tro-
phy in the center of their joyous
huddle.
They had just upset top-seeded
Bishop McNamara, 68-50, to
reach a height that has been the
calling card of this program but
was the dream of its current ros-
ter. Despite the school’s storied
past, not a single player on this
team had played in the WCAC
championship game before Mon-
day. At the end, they hoisted their
hardware high as the surprise
stars of the evening.
“We knew it would take every
single day of this season to become
prepared enough to win this
game,” a soaked Jonathan Scrib-
ner, the Cadets’ coach, said outside
the celebratory locker room. “Wecouldn’t have done this without
everything we’ve been through.”
Monday brought the 10th con-
ference title game appearance in
the past 12 years for St. John’s, but
the road to this one was bumpier
than usual for the proud North-
west Washington program. After
losing two-time All-Met Player of
the Year Azzi Fudd to graduation
(and the University of Connecti-
cut), a young Cadets team was
saddled with the same sky-high
expectations that Fudd’s golden
years had produced. Two early
nonconference losses, which ar-
rived just before a weeks-long
pandemic-related pause, seemed
to lower that bar and shift the
team out of the spotlight.
But the Cadets (19-4) took care
of business in the new year. Amid
health issues, injuries and person-
al absences, the program didn’t
have its full roster until late Janu-
ary. The Cadets entered the con-
ference tournament with plenty of
talent and a new addition that
may not have been present for
previous championship runs: a
chip on their shoulder.
“We knew what we were walk-
ing into. We knew we weren’t the
top team, and we wanted what
McNamara had,” sophomore
guard Kyndal Walker said. “But it’s
always fun to be the underdog.”
From the start of Monday’s
game, the Cadets showed no fearof the defending champion Mus-
tangs. No. 3 McNamara (20-5) had
given them every reason to, going
undefeated during the confer-
ence’s arduous regular season cal-
endar. But the No. 4 Cadets
opened the game shooting at the
basket directly in front of McNa-
mara’s wall of eager, black-clad
supporters, and they seemed ex-
cited by the chance to silence the
crowd. They stayed tight on de-
fense and played loose on the oth-
er end, building a 10-point lead by
halftime.
Walker was one of several
young Cadets to play well beyond
their years: She finished with 21
points, nine rebounds, seven as-
sists and two steals. As the Cadets
stifled the Mustangs on one end,
they were content to let Walker go
to work on the other.
“A game for the ages,” Scribner
said. “Pretty much for a whole half,
we just handed her the ball and
said you’re going to have to help us
win this game.”
Junior forward Delaney Thom-
as added 13 points, senior Olivia
Baptiste had 12, and sophomore
Carolae Barton finished with 11.
McNamara led for just 12 seconds.
“We’ve been preparing for this
game for most of the season,”
Thomas said. “Some people may
not think we have, but we’ve been
waiting, been building. Getting
ready.”WCAC GIRLS’ BASKETBALL FINALU nderdog Cadets rise to the occasionST. JOHN’S 68,
MCNAMARA 50Defending champion
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