As district play nears its halfway point, girls varsity basketball is looking to finish the regular season off strong with a dominant record.
The Bulldogs have rolled past their opponents this season, outscoring teams by an average of 15 points. The girls currently hold a 10-3 record, sitting tied for third place in the Potomac district.
“One of the big reasons why we have achieved this record is because we connect on and off the court,” center Sienna Lawyer said. “We all are good friends and also we have all played with each other before.”
Behind the team’s success lies coach Emily Thompson, who has been a part of the program for the past three seasons. A Loudoun Valley graduate, Coach Thompson was involved in her high school’s varsity team before eventually playing D-III at Mary Washington University, giving her plenty of experience to lead this unstoppable team of Bulldogs.
“I [knew] that I always wanted to coach in some capacity,” Coach Thompson said. “I love doing youth camps. I like coaching younger kids, and then when I wanted to be a teacher, I thought it would be really cool to also be a coach and have that relationship with some of my players that I never got to have as a player.”
The team has had some notable wins this season, including a close game against Loudoun Valley and an 18-point comeback against a challenging Tuscarora team. During winter break, the Bulldogs also won third place in the Shark Tank Winter Classic thanks to commendable performances against South Lakes and Colgan.
“I’d say my favorite memory so far was beating South Lakes in our winter break tournament,” point guard Katherine Streaker said. “Our energy was amazing and it felt so good to beat a team we lost to last year.”
There are numerous players who have been making an impact on this team, including shooting guard Sravya Janapati, who averages 13 points a game, and center Ava Ryan, who averages six rebounds.
“I think the kids are very trusting in each other,” Coach Emily said. “There’s not just one kid that’s just scoring all the points every game; it’s someone different every game, which I think is cool because that means it’s not just one kid who’s carrying the team. It’s everyone who’s getting involved.”
The Bulldogs will look to build on their record at Independence this Wednesday, Jan. 17 at 7:00 p.m.
“I love playing with this team,” Streaker said. “We’re all there for each other and it’s been so fun.”
