A belated congrats...

[Jake]

...to the women's basketball team at my high school (South River).

They battled all year and came just short of capturing their first state championship since 1986.

We beat the best team in the county Arundel (well... the former best team in Anne Arundel County ) twice this year and were named Maryland Class 4A East Champions due to our efforts. Our coach was named Coach of the Year in the country by The Capital-Gazette Newspapers.

In the championship game Saturday night, we were definitely overpowered by a HUGE Eleanor Roosevelt team whose star player just-so-happens to be a 6'5 junior!

I was assigned (I chose on my own) to write an article on the girls and their season for my school newspaper. It will be featured on the front page when it comes out in a few days.

I will post the full article soon for anyone who wants it.

Here is the Post's article on the Maryland State Class 4A Championship game:

Maryland 4A Girls' Final
Nwude, E. Roosevelt Come Up Huge
Eleanor Roosevelt 54, South River 37

By Eli Saslow
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, March 13, 2005; Page E09

CATONSVILLE, Md., March 12 -- South River focused its entire defensive strategy on containing Eleanor Roosevelt's Selena Nwude in Saturday's Maryland girls' 4A final. But even when the Seahawks used three players to defend the space around Nwude, they could do nothing to fill the space above her.

Nwude, a 6-foot-5 center who stands six inches above any South River player, scored 12 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to lead Roosevelt to a 54-37 win at University of Maryland- Baltimore County's RAC Arena, giving the Raiders their first state title.



Kairsten Nunn has her shot blocked by South Rivers's Kim Milligan but it didn't deter Eleanor Roosevelt from winning its first state title. (Mark Gail -- The Washington Post)

Roosevelt (21-5) held South River (21-6) to a season low for points and led by at least nine points for the final three quarters.

"We knew that if we got the ball in to Selena, she'd get us a state championship," Roosevelt Coach Rod Hairston said. "That's been our game plan all year: Let her dominate; let her find open teammates. It always works."

Roosevelt fed Nwude the ball on most of its first-half possessions, rendering South River helpless. Even when the center stood flat-footed and held the ball above her head, Seahawks defenders who jumped around her could not reach the ball.

Five times in the first half, Nwude turned toward the basket and made a five-foot jumper over defenders. Several other times, she passed to open teammates standing near the three-point line.

On four consecutive possessions early in the second quarter, Nwude either made a jumper or threw a pass to wide-open guard Kairsten Nunn, who finished with a team-high 14 points. By the time Nunn and Nwude had finished with their run, Roosevelt led, 26-9, with four minutes left in the second quarter.

South River never got back in the game, largely because Roosevelt limited guard Stacy Hunt to three shots. The South River star averaged 19.3 points coming into the game, and she finished with six. Senior Rachel Fry led the Seahawks with 19 points Saturday, but no other player scored in double figures.

"I knew they were small, and I could take advantage," said Nwude, who grabbed six offensive rebounds. "No matter how many people they had guarding me, I wasn't going to slow down."

Said South River's Hunt: "They jumped ahead, and we could never get going again. They were so much bigger that we couldn't get rebounds. I mean, we tried everything, but you can only stop [Nwude] so much."

To Nwude, the game was a perfect ending to a season that had been anything but.

The junior partially tore several ligaments in her left ankle at the end of the volleyball season, which kept her out of Roosevelt's first five basketball games. Then, just as she readied to re-enter the lineup, Nwude's grandmother died. She missed three weeks of classes and basketball games to attend the funeral in Nigeria.

Nwude finally debuted in the Raiders' ninth game, and she wore a brace on her left ankle for the entire season.

"It felt like I'd never get back," Nwude said. "A lot of this season was a nightmare. I was hurt, then my grandmother died, and I came back and felt rusty. This season had a terrible start, but I can't complain after this finish."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/ar ... Mar12.html

Again, Congratulations to the team for a great season!

[tazlah]

Hey -- that's awesome Jake! Congrats to the team. Quite an accomplishment.

Can't wait to read your review!

[SkinsChic]

Yes....Go Lady Seahawks !!! They did a great job this year !!

[Jake]

Here's my article:

South River Women’s Basketball Falls In Championship Bid

By Jake Russell
Sports Editor

Throughout the 2004-2005 regular season, South River’s varsity women’s basketball team showed why they deserve to be viewed as legitimate contenders to capture the state championship.

Led by seniors Stacy Hunt and Rachel Fry, the team finished the season with a 17-5 record and topped it off with another powerful regional playoff run. With a smaller frontcourt than last season’s team, which finished 21-5, this year’s team made the most of its lack of size by capturing the Maryland 4A East Regional title with a playoff victory over Arundel.

This has been a season of many positives for the Seahawks. The team has maintained a focused attitude throughout the year.

“We stuck it out and believed in each other,” said Hunt.

The high point came when they defeated top-ranked Arundel on the road in their first meeting in January. Yes, the same Arundel team that defeated the Seahawks on four occasions last season.

The team began their playoff run by defeating Thomas Stone 61-51 in the first round and Great Mills 62-51 in the second round.

Although the girls ended the regular season with a disappointing loss to Arundel, they weren’t fazed as they toppled the county’s top team in the state quarterfinals. Hunt capped off the game by making two free throws to put the Seahawks ahead 45-43 with just four seconds remaining.

“In the beginning, we didn’t think we’d get this far,” said Fry.

After moving on to the state semi-finals, South River handily defeated Thomas Johnson at UMBC’s RAC Arena 59-48.

That victory sent them to the Class 4A Maryland State Final to face Prince George’s County’s Eleanor Roosevelt High School. The girls’ lack of size came into effect as they were dominated down low by an oversized team led by a
6-foot-5 junior.

Coach Dave Klingel admired the efforts of his team despite the disappointing loss. “It was a test to their character,” he said. “They (Eleanor Roosevelt) were a little bit bigger, faster, and stronger. We just played against a good team.”

“I’ve never been more proud of a group of kids,” added Klingel.

The Seahawks failed to capture their first championship since 1986 but they were the only Anne Arundel County team to make it to a basketball championship this year.

With the team’s main scoring threats in Hunt and Fry graduating in June, the team is expected be led by Ali Moreland and Kelly Chubb heading into next year.

“It’s gonna be a challenge,” said Coach Klingel.

But this year, however, this team has shown that challenges are welcome and easily overcome.

[SkinsChic]

Way to go Jake....where's my paper(s) ???

[Jake]

Way to go Jake....where's my paper(s) ???

It hasn't come out yet.