As the bright shining stadium lights have finally turned off for the year, it’s now time for the bleachers to be pulled out and the hoops to be lowered. After MCPS was represented heavily in last year’s state basketball playoffs, all eyes have now turned to see which Montgomery County team can navigate their way back to Xfinity Center for the state playoffs. Just three weeks into the season, multiple teams have shown they deserve to be at the top of the rankings yet again, while others seem like they have a lot left to prove.
The Bulldogs are picking up right where they left off
A team bound for greatness fell just short last year. The Churchill Bulldogs boys varsity team ended their 2021-22 campaign last year in devastating fashion, losing to Eleanor Roosevelt HS in double overtime of the 4A state championship game. While this might deter the team, the Bulldogs seem to be seeing glimpses of another county banner already. The Bulldogs started off the season with a dominant 64-49 win over Gaithersburg. Led by senior forward Ezekiel Avit and senior guard Isaiah Mbeng, the Bulldogs look just as dangerous as they did last year. Avit, a University of Maryland football commit, is just almost just as scary on the hardwood as he is on the turf. On Dec. 12, they narrowly defeated a tough Sherwood team 51-48, but they still look like early-season favorites. However, the boy’s team is not the only team at Churchill to be putting on a show at the beginning of the season. The varsity girls basketball team, last year’s 4A West Regional champion, is off to a terrific start to the season. They opened the season with a 72-10 victory over Gaithersburg. Then in a span of three days, defeated Sherwood and Springbrook 71-27 and 78-17, an astonishing display of both their offensive and defensive capabilities. In the first two games, senior guard Dillan George posted back-to-back 24-point performances. Along with senior guard Chelsea Calkins and sophomore guard Ruby Siegal, Churchill is looking to define themselves as a county powerhouse. But their ceiling is not winning just county championships, as they were ranked 18 in the most recent Washington Post Top 20 rankings in the state.
The Trojans are looking to stir up the party
Even though they lost their season opener to Churchill, the Gaithersburg Trojans boys basketball team have not let that change their focus. They followed the defeat with two blowout wins, a 94-24 victory over Watkins Mill, and an 87-61 win over Blair. In the Blair game, they started the game with a 24-1 run in the first quarter, putting the Blazers down fast. Senior guard Ben Bradford scored 30, with help from senior guard DJ Mills and senior forward Spencer Saar, who scored 14 and 11 respectively. The Trojans’ depth makes them scary. In their two victories so far, they have had 10 players put points on the board. Gaithersburg, however, will not get another chance at the Bulldogs in the regular season, so an opportunity for revenge will have to come in the postseason.
No Nelson, No Problem
After losing in the state championship last season, the Clarksburg Coyotes girl varsity team begin the season on the prowl. University of Maryland commit Riley Nelson, who led the Clarksburg Coyotes to the state championship game last year, transferred to Bullis for her senior season, moving into the more competitive Independent School League. Yet, through the first two games of the season, the defending regional champs have not lost a step without their star player. They started their revenge tour with a commanding win over St. Johns, then checked off the win column two more times with victories over Poolesville and Frederick. Clarksburg has an easier schedule at the beginning of the season, but as wins become more important, the Coyotes will have to face Churchill, RM and B-CC down the stretch. This will be the true test of whether Clarksburg can make another deep run into the playoffs, but this time, without Nelson.
This is not going to be a one-team race
While Churchill is already looking like the favorite in both boys and girls, in high school basketball, always expect the unexpected. There are many other teams in the county who can compete with the likes of George and Avit. The B-CC girl’s basketball team has gone 3-0 in their opening week of games. Leading the Barons so far this season, has been sophomore Frances Doyle and senior Zoe Posner, supported by junior Riley Peterson and sophomore Sahsa Barr. With this mix of experienced upperclassmen and up-and-coming underclassmen, B-CC should not be overlooked. Other strong starts to the season include a 3-0 start by both the boys and girls teams from Damascus and from Richard Montgomery. The girls at Wootton, after a loss to QO in the third round of the playoffs last year, have begun this season 3-0, with the boys team standing at 2-1, rebounding from a close opening day loss to Northwest.
Written by Ari Fine of Richard Montgomery HS
Photo courtesy of Kiana Hajikarimloo of Northwest High School