Chelsea Mitchell's introduction to organized sports was anything but traditional.
Following in the footsteps of her older brothers, Brandon and Kyle, she played running back for the Columbia Ravens at age 8.
As the only girl on her team, Mitchell had a good year, but her football career was not destined to last.
"I was one and done," she said. "My mom was like 'There's no way you're playing with the older kids.'"
While Brandon and Kyle went on to become standout football players for Reservoir, Chelsea's future was on the basketball court, though it took her some time to figure that out.
She played organized basketball for the first time as a seventh grader with the Savage rec league, but it wasn't until the year before she enrolled at Atholton High School that things really started to click.
"It wasn't until the eighth grade when I played with the boys at recess, and they were like 'you can play!'," said Mitchell, who earned a starting spot on the Raiders as only a freshman.
Mitchell entered high school light on experience, but heavy on promise and motivation to improve.
"My first impression was that she was a raw, athletic talent and had a lot of potential," said coach Julia Reynold, who started coaching at Atholton during Mitchell's freshman year. "You could see that she would do whatever she could do to get better."
Growing up as the youngest of three siblings in a modest Columbia household, Mitchell learned early on that she would have to make her own good fortune, and work hard for everything she wanted.
"Not being as priveleged as the other kids I grew up with gave me a reason to push myself even harder," said Mitchell, whose older brothers went on from Reservoir to continue their studies and playing careers in college. "They were definitely role models for me both academically and athletically."
By her sophomore season, Mitchell had begun to come into her own, averaging 12 points per game. Last year, she evolved even more into the great player she would eventually become, leading the county with 3.6 steals per game, and her team with 11.8 points per game to earn first-team all-county honors. Her play was key in getting the Raiders all the way to the regional finals, where they overcame a double-digit deficit before ultimately losing to Baltimore Poly in double overtime.
"The biggest change for Chelsea has been her growth in maturity and her understanding of the game," said Reynold, who remembers watching Mitchell turn around on defense as an inexperienced freshman.
Mitchell also worked hard on improving with her left hand, so that teams couldn't limit her effectiveness by forcing her to drive left, and at shooting free throws, so that when she was fouled on her way to the basket, she could still be an effective scorer.
Last year, Mitchell shot less than 50 percent from the free throw line. This year, she made 87 of her 115 free throw attempts to improve to 75.6 percent.
"We knew she was going to attack the basket," Reynold said.
What made shooting free throws even more difficult was that all of the Raiders' games after Dec. 22 — an 18-game stretch — were played on the road in front of opposing fans as Atholton's gym went under renovations.
"We knew going into the season that we'd be playing away from our home gym," said Mitchell, who was one of only four Raiders to suit up for all 24 of Atholton's games this winter. "Our coach had us practicing in a lot of different locations, with a lot of noise, just to get us used to playing on the road."
After losing to Mt. Hebron at Atholton on Dec. 12, the Raiders went on a 20-game winning streak despite the marathon road trip and numerous injuries to key players. As the wins piled up, Atholton earned the well-deserved moniker, Road Warriors. And the determined, dynamic Mitchell was their leader through the many victories and the inevitable struggles.
"She's the best player I've ever played with. Through thick and thin she's always there for you as a player and as a friend," said fellow senior Sage Mayhew, who has played with Mitchell since they were both sophomores.
Reynold was especially impressed by Mitchell's transition from an inexperienced freshman into a veteran senior who was able to not only lead her team, but help keep the season enjoyable throughout the many obstacles.
"You need to have fun in whatever you're doing. If it's not fun, it's not worth doing," Reynold said. "She was the vocal leader. That says a lot about what she has done throughout her time here. She was a great kid on and off the court."
Atholton's amazing story eventually came to an end against Baltimore Poly in the 3A East regional finals for the second straight year.
But along the way, Mitchell had scored her 1,000th career point, led her team to back-to-back regional finals and the 2015 Howard County championship. She also earned back to back all-county honors, including becoming the 2015 Howard County Times/Columbia Flier Player of the Year.
Mitchell averaged 19.5 points per game, scoring 100 more (469) than any other player in Howard County, and led the league with 113 steals (4.7 per game). She also led the Raiders with 159 rebounds (6.6 per game) and 72 assists (3.0 per game), and added 14 blocks and 12 three-pointers.
Despite all of her hard work over the last four years, Mitchell said that she was surprised at how well she performed individually this season. One thing that did not surprise her at all, though, was what she and her teammates were able to accomplish together.
"It was not a surprise to us at all as far as our accomplishments. We knew what we had," she said. "I was blessed to be surrounded by such amazing teammates."
Mitchell — who is interested in a career in sports medicine — says that she definitely plans to play college basketball, but is still looking for the right fit.
"She's phenomenal. She has put so much into the team and the program and it has been a privelege to coach her. She loves the game of basketball and she put in the time and the effort to work and improve," Reynold said. "She met every challenge and knew that teams would double team her. But she relied on her teammates too, she elevated the play of the rest of our team."
Named to the first team are:
Kalere Caldwell, Atholton. Caldwell's season was cut short prior to the playoffs due to a concussion, but she made enough of an impact in 17 games to earn recognition as the county's top low-post player.
"She really is a calm, consistent player," coach Julia Reynold said. "She's a great defender and a great post player. She can play with her back to the basket."
Caldwell had a breakout season, scoring 87 points (5.1 per game) while pulling down 75 rebounds (4.4 per game) and leading her team with 21 blocks (1.2 per game).
"She's a true post player who came in with skills and knowledge," Reynold said. "She understands the game really well ... she contributed even when she wasn't on the court."
Caldwell's presence was sorely missed during the playoff loss at Baltimore Poly.
"She was one of our big players and we're not really a big team," fellow senior Sage Mayhew said. "It was really hard not having her there getting all of the rebounds."
Caldwell also chipped in 15 assists and 18 steals this winter.
Victoria Diggs, Oakland Mills. Diggs was the heart and soul of a Scorpions team that made it deeper into the playoffs than any other team in Howard County this year, losing to Oakdale in the 2A state semfinals. The four-year varsity player and senior starting point guard experienced a career highlight by playing in the state semifinals at Towson's SECU Arena.
"The greatest thing about Tori is that she doesn't need to be the top scorer," coach Christina Hewitt said. "She's there for the team and whatever is best on any given night, she is willing to take that role."
This season, she scored a career-high 327 points (13.1 per game), including 40 three-pointers, and finished with more than 800 points in her career. A true point guard, she also led the county with 94 assists (3.6 per game), and led her team with 84 steals (3.4 per game).
"She's the glue that can hold us together in many situations," Hewitt said. "She's tough."
At 5-foot-1, Diggs was often the shortest player on the court, but she never let her height dictate her style of play. This season she pulled down 81 rebounds and blocked 28 shots.
In Oakland Mills' 2A South regional championship win over Largo, Diggs scored 14 points, five of them in the final moments, to secure the Scorpions' first regional title since 1998.
Meghan Doherty, Mt. Hebron. A four-year varsity starter who has committed to play lacrosse at the University of Maryland, Doherty gave the Vikings an element of toughness from the guard position that will be nearly impossible to replace.
"She started every game since she walked into the building, and she got better every year," coach Anthony Bell said. "My nickname for her was Warrior."
Whether playing through injury, diving to the floor for a loose ball, powering through traffic to the basket, or taking a charge, Doherty seemed to thrive on contact rather than shying away from it.
"It's going to be hard to find another Meghan Doherty," Bell said. "She's going to go down as one of the toughest players to ever come through Hebron."
That toughness made Doherty an excellent defender, which Bell says was her greatest area of improvement over the years. She finished this season with 67 steals (2.8 per game) and pulled down 87 rebounds (3.6 per game) from her guard position.
But she also played with finesse as a scorer.
Doherty scored 180 points (7.5 per game) in a deep and balanced offense, and distributed 71 assists (3.0 per game). She also drained 20 three-pointers througout the season.
Megan Konig, Mt. Hebron. Konig was the best all-around player on a Vikings team that was undefeated against league competition for the first month of the season. A true swing player, Konig could play any position on the court and was top-three for the Vikings in every major statistical category, while leading the team in assists (79, 3.6 per game) and steals (89, 4.0 per game).
"She was silky smooth. She was our best all-around player by far. She could do everything," coach Anthony Bell said. "She's a true basketball player."
Konig had one of the best mid-range jumpers in the league, and used it to score 191 points (8.7 per game). She was also not afraid to mix it up in the paint, pulling down 155 rebounds (7.0 per game) and blocking 15 shots.
Konig was also dangerous from beyond the three-point arc, knocking down a team-high 24 long-range shots.
A two-year captain, Konig will continue her basketball career at Salisbury next year under head coach Kelly Lewandowski, and has already been dedicating herself to the weight room in preparation for college basketball.
"She's just a hard worker," Bell said. "Her leadership was second to none."
Anna Mitchell, Centennial. A Player of the Year candidate, Mitchell also scored her 1,000th point this season and was one of the most well-rounded, polished players in the area. At 5-foot-9, Mitchell had the size and strength to play center, but also the ball-handling skills to play point guard.
The returning first-team all-county selection led the Eagles with 363 points (15.1 per game), 199 rebounds (8.3 per game), 82 assists (3.4 per game) and 100 steals (4.2 per game).
"Beyond Anna's ability to fill up a stat sheet, she was willing to do whatever it took to help her team win," coach Bobby Macheel said. "While she was always a good ballhandler, she took on the role of point guard in many situations this year, which lessened her points per game, but helped us to be more successful."
Mitchell led the Eagles to a win over previously undefeated Mt. Hebron in early January, which was part of a 12-game win streak for Centennial, and recorded eight double-doubles this winter.
Macheel said that beyond her scoring, he was most proud of Mitchell's growth as a defender.
"She went from being a liability at times defensively last year to being a lock down 1-on-1 defender, and again, it is what the team needed from her this year," he said. "What we will miss the most about Anna though is her strong, steady, positive leadership that has been a constant for our program for four years."
Natalie Talley, Howard. Talley was a coach's dream. Despite being the smallest player on the team, she led the Lions in rebounding (120, 5.2 per game) and steals (69, 3.0 per game).
"She was our best athlete and defensive player and we assigned her to the opposing team's best scoring threat, whether that was a guard or a forward, and she always limited them," coach Scott Robinson said. "She really plays hard and works hard. This is the first year she has started, and she worked hard to get where she is."
Talley was also an effective offensive player, posting 188 points (8.2 per game), distributing 23 assists and knocking down eight three-pointers.
She excelled at the old-fashioned three-point play, pushing through contact on a lay-up, then hitting the free throw. Robinson remembers watching Talley chasing a loose ball from five steps behind her opponent on numerous occasions and getting to the ball first with sheer desire and hustle.
Talley will continue her basketball career at McDaniel College under head coach Becky Martin next year.