Game On: Young Hoops Players Primed for High School Success

By Will Armbruster Wednesday, February 22, 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

I wanted to take some time and recognize a few young basketball teams around the area that have made quite a splash on the local hoops scene lately.

 

Williamsburg Christian Academy’s Middle School girls basketball team (JJV) capped off another perfect season this past Saturday with a 37-19 victory over Portsmouth Christian in the Metro Conference championship game. It was third-straight tournament title for head coach Chris Brown – whose daughter, Keyana, stars on WCA’s varsity girls squad – and the lady Eagles, who finished the season 15-0 (9-0 Metro Conference), marking their second consecutive unbeaten season.

Pictured above is the team with coach Brown hoisting their third championship trophy. From left to right, starting with the top row: #4 Jess Cooke, #1 Madison Vick, #32 Victoria Alexander, #11 Kayla Cooke #22 Abby Linns, #33 Nina Ahrendt. Bottom Row:  #13 Pattie Aguilar, #2 Nicole Dunn, #15 Leah Cooke, #10 Isabella Alexander, #5 Madalyn Hopkins. Absent from the photo is #3 Maddie Viniard.

Another group of middle schoolers that deserve some recognition is Queens Lake Middle School’s boys team.

The Panthers recently captured their fourth-straight tournament championship by rolling over York Middle 61-43.

Sixth-year coach Heather Stark, an eighth-grade English teacher from upstate New York, said she’s been fortunate to have some of top young talents in the area to guide her program, which has compiled a 57-7 record over the past four seasons.

The Panthers finished this past season 16-1 (14-0 district record) with their one loss coming in a non-conference contest against St. Christophers during a holiday tournament.

Pictured on the right is Queen’s Lake middle school boys’ squad: Zachary Calloway, Courtland Ford, Daniel Jones, Chris Lamb, Elijah Rice, Dylan Shannon, Kameron Stanley, Danjie Taylor, James West, Javonte Ashlock, Greg Dockery, Kyle Johnson, Keith Williams and Kevin Williams along with coach Stark.

Stark, who ironically used to coach WCA’s middle school team which has also experienced quite a run of its own over the past few seasons, has coached some of the top local prospects in the area, including WCA boys varsity star Deron Powers, Walsingham point guard Corey Brown, former Bruton standout Chauncey Burgazli –  now playing for D3 Sherpherd University in West Virginia – and almost every member of Bruton’s current varsity squad that will compete for a state tournament berth tomorrow against Brunswick High in the Region I Division 3 playoffs.

How long these two programs’ impressive streaks will continue remains to be seen. Just this week, the Superintendent proposed in his budget to cut all middle school athletics, which should save the school division roughly $110,000. (Click Here to read WY Daily education reporter Amber Kennedy’s story on all the effects of the recently proposed budget).

Needless to say – and regardless of what happens with recently the proposed budget – the future appears very bright the WCA’s and Bruton’s varsity hoops squads.