Capital Gazette 2023-24 girls basketball preview: Injuries, rebuilding affecting the early season
The abundant turnover caused each year by graduation usually leaves an opening for other teams to scrap for the top spots. Injuries, sprinkled throughout the county, have put a damper on that.
South River unfortunately leads that example. On paper, the Seahawks have the potential to take the county by storm. Primed with a team of mostly sophomore and freshmen standouts last winter, the Seahawks were well-stocked for a run in 2023-24.
However, injuries to three players that’ll keep them sidelined for various lengths of the season doesn’t set South River off on the best foot. Players certain they’d be doing one role will have to adjust to completely different ones.
“But,” longtime coach Mike Zivic said, “I’m optimistic that we will be competing for the county championship when all the dust settles.”
St. Mary’s is also dealing with its own problem. Sophomore star Bailey Harris, who attracted the attention of Division I programs with her debut performance, is dealing with a high-ankle sprain and will miss a good chunk of the early season. Fortunately for the Saints, the season is long and its new conference play doesn’t technically begin until January.
The Saints will greet some of its new IAAM A Conference fellows next week in nonconference, an early test of its placement in the elite level of Maryland girls basketball.
“We’re still a fairly young team with a varsity which consists of 10 players including three sophomores and two freshmen,” new coach Leo Latonick said. “Our goal for the year is to compete on a consistent basis and try to get better every day.”
But injuries are just temporary, and those seasoned teams are lucky. If most Anne Arundel teams were buildings, they’d be covered in scaffolding.
“Glen Burnie is a wild card after losing such a dominating senior class,” Chesapeake coach Maria Gray said, “but [Sam] Porter is a good coach.”
Last season’s Class 4A state champion Gophers’ lineup looks very different. Two-time Player of the Year Amourie Porter, currently playing Division I ball at Cal Bakersfield, along with Layla Washington, Lania Nick and so on are gone. Now, it’s time to see how the players coach Sam Porter always referred to as his “babies” fare on their own.
They’ll need to “play up to the standard that has been established,” Porter said. “We want to compete at a high level and take care of the things we know we are capable of doing. One game at a time.”
Gray is as uncertain with Glen Burnie’s future as she is with her own squad’s. The Cougars graduated three starters following a solid season. However, Chesapeake expects to set high expectations once again with goals on controlling rebounds and success from the free throws.
“Chesapeake has surrounded a strong cast of returners with exciting new talent, infusing the squad with promising depth,” Gray said. “We’re ready to face the solid competition county play provides.”
Severna Park also turned over physical athletes that helped lead it to the 4A semifinals. Its goal this season is improvement, though coach Kristofer Dean hopes the Falcons could “knock on the door” of the state tournament again.
Unlike those teams, Southern is actually in a much more settled spot.
Led by 2022-23 first team All-County select Ava Wooster, the Bulldogs possess a roster with six seniors, each “possessing unique skill sets and leadership qualities,” per coach Beth Tompkins. The coach hopes that seniority blends with a talented underclass into a team that can be a contender this year.
Broadneck coach Juan McKinney thinks they will.
As far as his own team goes, he hopes his Bruins’ defense will keep them grounded in games this year, but McKinney is looking for his players to grab boards and limit turnovers to succeed overall.
Meade, too, only graduated one starter, leaving the Mustangs with an opportunity to improve upon last year’s shortcomings in games, such as letting adversity “crush” them. Coach Cat Harmon hopes this year’s parity will give Meade the chance to have a little fun, but only if they have the mental toughness to overcome it all and play hard and fast enough to account for their lack of size.
Crofton is under reconstruction after graduating foundational seniors like Cora Shafer.
“Adjustments to this level of play will have to be made by the team,” coach Jonathan Mason said. “The obstacles we will face is how our returning players step up their level of play and how quick our underclassmen catch on to the speed and skill level of varsity level basketball.”
Arundel’s at square one again. With just two returning starters, longtime coach Lee Rogers is in “wait and see mode,” hoping to grow his players’ confidence while they tackle the county and 3A now.Here’s more on each team. Please note: not every team responded to requests for information.
Arundel
Last season: 3-19
Coach: Lee Rogers, 34th season
Top players: N/A
Broadneck
Last season: 13-11
Coach: Juan McKinney, fifth season
Top players: Seniors MacKenzie Wharton (SG), Samantha Miller (SF), Ginger Kerdock (PG) and Liberty Chenault-Randall (C); juniors London Best (PG), Summer Stroop and Katelyn Kearns.
Chesapeake
Last season: 15-9
Coach: Maria Gray, 10th season
Top players: Seniors Kasey Slade (C), Ava Arruda (PG), Maggie Lawrence (F), Kellie Harring (G) and Kaila Ansted (G/F); sophomores Kiery Matkins (G/F) and Allison Schaefer (F).
Crofton
Last season: 13-9
Coach: Jonathan Mason, fourth season
Top players: Juniors Vanessa Carmichael (G/F) and Mollee Corso (C/F); sophomore Skye Mathews (G).
Glen Burnie
Last season: 24-2
Coach: Sam Porter, third season
Top players: Senior McKenzie Gilbert (F); junior Trinity Munford (G); sophomore Starr Munford (G); freshman Makaila Jones (F).
Indian Creek
Last season: 15-8, IAAM C Conference champions
Coach: Casey Corkin, third season
Top players: Senior Elia Alewine (G); junior Abbey Bunker (G); sophomore Norah Young; freshmen Malinda Morgan (G), Ofundem Mbelem (F) and Stephanie Bunker (G).
Meade
Last season: 7-11
Coach: Cat Harmon, second season
Top players: Seniors Kennedy House (PG/SG) and Evhan Smith (PG).
Northeast
Last season: 3-19
Coach: Michael Parker, sixth season
Top players: Seniors Julia Fox (C) and Faith Schmitz (F); junior Madison Walter (F); sophomores Madison Burris (F/C), Brynn Jones (G) and Maiah Parker (G).
Severna Park
Last season: 21-5, Class 4A state semifinalists
Coach: Kristofer Dean, seventh season
Top players: Seniors Maddy Sullivan (C), Ryn Feemster (G), Sally Trent (SF) and Gabby Rosati (G).
South River
Last season: 17-7
Coach: Michael Zivic, 17th season
Top players: Seniors Maggie Groves (F), Kamryn Lee (G) and Ksenya Dittrich (G); juniors Skylar Woodyard (PG), Raegan Ogle (PG), Karlee Hawkins (F) and Ryleigh Adams (F), Adella Norton (G), Adriana Kane (G), Samantha Clarke (G/F), Kaylee Stewart (G) and Claire Werwie (F); sophomores Kiera West (G) and Leila Bushee(G); freshman Cami Burke (G).
Southern
Last season: 9-13
Coach: Beth Tompkins, third season
Top players: Seniors Ava Wooster (F), Sidney Shaw (G), Gabrielle Tompkins (G), Alissa Jacks (F), Presley Marks (G) and Mandi Mulhern (G); juniors Charlotte Green (G) and Kaelyn Page (C); sophomore Raelyn MacDonald (F); freshmen Huntyr Marks (G) and Abigail Mackiewicz (G).
St. Mary’s
Last season: 27-0, IAAM B Conference champions
Coach: Leo Latonick, first season
Top players: Senior Baily Walden (G); sophomores Bailey Harris (G) and Alex Vandiver (G/F).