As the winter sports season progresses, Montgomery County Public Schools boys’ and girls’ basketball teams continue to compete for a high regional standing.
Looking at the MCPS boys’ Class 3A West II division standings, Magruder stands first, with Wootton and Sherwood trailing closely behind, tied at second. Blake also has a chance at defeating either of the three teams during regionals despite being seeded third, as their winning percentage is only behind by less than one percent.
A significant asset to Blake’s team is six-foot-seven Babatunde “Baba” Oladotun, a combo guard who plays for and works closely with NBA star Kevin Durant. With Oladotun’s height and agility, Blake can certainly gain the upper hand during regional playoffs.
Wootton also has a fair shot at securing its bid to the state playoffs with shooting guard Taj Smith and power forward Jaiden Aze, who stands six feet four inches.
Smith, a starter for the Patriots, has scored 268 points this season and is ranked among the top 50 in Maryland for three-point percentage.
Aze had an outstanding performance against Wootton’s crosstown rivals, Winston Churchill, contributing 21 points to the 64-55 point win on February second.
Smith foresaw a successful season and said, “We got a lot of things to clean up, but I have faith in my team.” He believes they will win the region final for the second time this year. As the regular season nears a close, it will be interesting to see who will come out on top in Class 3A West II, considering the evenly matched competition of the top four teams in the conference.
In girl’s basketball, Damascus leads the conference of eight teams with an impressive 15-1 record. Sherwood trails close behind with a 14-3 record and an 82.35 winning percentage.
Multisport athlete Madison Slayton of Damascus, a five foot nine post player committed to Wingate University for Division II lacrosse, had an outstanding game against Poolesville, scoring 22 points and 17 rebounds.
Avni Koenig, a guard on the Wootton girl’s team, predicts a Damascus or Wootton win for the 3A West II region.
Elsewhere in the county, notable teams include BCC, which has a 93.75 percent WP in the 4A West II region, Clarksburg, which has an 87.50% WP, and Seneca Valley, which has an 82.35 percent WP in the 4A West I region.
It is challenging to foresee which teams will come out on top of their region with the high. The boys’ 3A West II region boasts arguably the most competitive teams in the county, while girls have strong 4A and 3A West regions. It will be exciting to see who comes out on top of their regions to make it to the ultimate destination—the state championship.
Article written by Naima Cho-Khaliq of Thomas S Wootton High School
Photo Courtesy of Ari Fine of Richard Montgomery High School