Winters Mill point guard Breigh Kalb has gotten used to the pressure of being in charge of the Falcons' offense.
She's certainly had time to get accustomed to that role, as Kalb is finishing her fourth year on varsity. While the Falcons have had some growing pains — their roster is loaded with underclassmen — Kalb sees the future as bright.
She is the lone senior on Winters Mill's roster, as teammate Kayla Sembly is out for the season due to injury — one of several key injuries the Falcons (5-10, 2-8) have dealt with. Despite that, Winters Mill might have had its highlight of the season when it upset rival Westminster on Jan. 13, 47-42. Kalb scored seven points to help the Falcons top the Owls.
Kalb doesn't plan on playing basketball in college. She is undecided, but has been accepted to UMBC, Clemson, and South Carolina.
How would you assess the team's season to this point?
I think so far, well, we've had a lot of injuries as the season's gone on so I think we've really come together as a team, and I think our communication's definitely improving. We've definitely been working on the intensity for the entire game. We're still not there for 100 percent of the entire game, so that's definitely something we're working on getting to. We haven't been shooting very well from the floor percentage-wise, so we've been working on shots.
How tough has it been to deal with the loss of several key players to injury?
It's been really tough, sometimes more mentally than it is physically. We lose Kayla Sembly, who was definitely our leading scorer, and then Meghan Crouse, one of our strong post players ... You've just got to go through it, obviously they're not coming back so we just have to play without them and I think everyone's definitely stepped up.
As a senior on a young team, do you feel you've taken on a leadership role this season?
Yeah, definitely. One of our freshmen, Hannah [Stitely], is probably going to step up and be point guard the following year, so as a fellow point guard I've definitely been trying to work with her and try to help the team, just trying to get everyone set and make sure everyone stays calm under pressure because we're definitely younger so the pressure sometimes gets to us.
How exciting was it to upset rival Westminster earlier this season?
That was definitely going to be the highlight of senior year. I'm friends with a lot of the girls on the team so to go out and beat some of my best friends was definitely fun.
With so many young players on the roster, is the future bright for Winters Mill girls basketball?
It's definitely growing. We have a couple key sophomores and definitely key freshmen who are stepping up and I think they're going to do great as it goes on. I know they're playing year-round, so they're just going to improve from here on out.
How would you describe your role on the court for the team?
Usually I'm the person that's the most under pressure so I think just getting the team set up and calm under like press breaks and tight situations is what coach [Dave Wynne] looks for from me.
Have four years on varsity helped you handle those high-pressure situations better?
Yeah, definitely. I'm used to having a girl on my face and having to tell girls where to go in tight situations. And definitely it helps me and Coach Wynne, being on the team for four years, have definitely got it down on communication so he can look to me in a situation and I can kind of read what he's trying to say.
What's it been like being a varsity athlete for four years?
It's been tough. To step on, I had a lot of seniors on the team with me my freshman year and that was very intimidating, but as it's gone on, I've definitely just kind of slid into the role and it's gotten more comfortable over the years. To step up and be a leader like last year and this year has definitely been a different experience, but I'm enjoying it.
What does the team need to work on the most before the playoffs start?
Definitely our defense. Offensively, our shots haven't been falling, but our defense is where we're going to win games, for sure, and just intensity and getting in girls' faces.