The battle for supremacy in the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference gets off to a quick start this season: No. 1 St. Frances and the No. 3 Institute of Notre Dame square off in just two weeks.
The Dec. 18 game between the two East Baltimore rivals features two teams that suffered significant losses to injury last season but should be fully loaded for an intense pre-Christmas showdown at IND.
Each team returns two exceptional players as well as an amazing amount of depth.
In the post, the Panthers have 6-foot All-Metro forward Angel McCoughtry while the Indians have 5-10 forward Colby Lee. On the perimeter, the Indians have 5-9 All-Metro guard Chandrea Jones while the Panthers counter with 5-10 Shadae Swan, who played for the Indians as a freshman.
The rest of each roster is equally impressive. The Panthers run just a bit deeper thanks to three transfers -- 5-11 forward Camille Coleman, 5-3 point guard Tammy Rogers and 6-2 center Tanisha Foster -- and a trio of senior guards: Denae Kennedy, Nyteria Burrell and Danyelle Thompson.
While the Panthers go about 12 deep, the Indians can run about nine. IND will get a big boost from 6-2 center Caroline Wesley, who missed much of last season with a knee injury. Guards Katie Hoelter and Heather Sullivan also play key roles along with 6-1 forward Brooks Webster.
Upping the ante
With his team returning a trio of first-team All-Carroll County players, Westminster coach Dick Ebersole wasn't shy about scheduling the best nonconference competition he could find.
The 20th-ranked Owls will play three of their toughest games of the season in the Holiday Hoops Tournament in Lanham, opening with defending Class 4A state champion Churchill before facing the likes of St. Frances, St. Mary's, Arundel, Suitland, Patuxent or St. John's of Washington.
Westminster, which has lost just one home game over the past two seasons, also will test that string Friday against Centennial and in February against IND.
"Hopefully, this will help us out in the postseason," said Ebersole, whose team got bumped in the 4A East quarterfinals by Glen Burnie last season. "It's just good for us to play at that level. Plus, Churchill is a team we could conceivably see in the playoffs."
Raiders on the mend
The start of the high school season means a new beginning for many programs, and nowhere is that attitude embodied more than at Howard County's Atholton High.
Atholton has never been confused for a basketball powerhouse, but what the Raiders endured last year was more painful than usual. By season's end, the injury-ravaged team had barely enough players to send out a starting five.
"Our season was over by January 10th," said coach Maureen Shacreaw, whose team finished 2-21 and last in the county (1-17). "We've been on the bottom so long, but the kids are really excited. I think we'll be much stronger."
And much healthier. Juniors Julia Reynold (broken nose), Meaghan Murphy (torn ankle tendons) and Lisa Daciek (herniated disc) join lone senior Katie MacFarland, sophomore Chelsey Barrett and junior transfer LeAnna Forbes.
Shacreaw is realistic about her team, which still is young and lacks a 6-footer. The Raiders may be the sentimental choice, but are still heavy underdogs in a loaded conference.
"We've learned a lot. Nobody that went through last year plans on letting it happen again," she said.
Home-court advantage
In the three years since its girls basketball program began, Southside has not lost a home game. The home-court advantage has carried through two years of JV competition to last season's varsity debut.
"The atmosphere here is so different than any other atmosphere," said Jaguars coach Dafne Lee-Blakney. "The people in Cherry Hill love basketball. Our gym is always filled."
This year's Southside crowds could be even bigger, because the number of bleachers has been doubled. The Jaguars will need those fans to keep the streak alive when some tough opponents come to Cherry Hill in January -- Dunbar, Riverdale Baptist and Dunbar of Washington.