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 the 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 at left 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 who deserve some recognition is Queens Lake Middle School’s boys' team.

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

Sixth-year coach Heather Stark, an eighth-grade English teacher at the school who's from upstate New York, said she’s been fortunate to have some of the area's top young talents 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. Christopher's during a holiday tournament.

Pictured on the right is the Queens 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 Shepherd 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.

Middle school athletics in Williamsburg-James City County public schools are at risk of being eliminated, if WJCC Schools Superintendent Steven Constantino's proposed budget is adopted. While neither WCA nor Queens Lake would be affected (WCA is private and QLMS is in the York County public school division) it's clear that middle school athletics are a training ground for the competitive Bay Rivers District high school programs.