The JV girls’ basketball team is halfway through their season and currently holds a 1-4 record. They’ve had a rough recovery from a COVID outbreak, but they look forward to the second half of their season and the girls hope to bond and grow closer.

The 10-girl squad is composed of eight freshmen and two sophomores, who have been training intensely since early December. The team is coached by Laura Darby, a talented Wootton basketball alumni who returned to coach the team. “We have a very fun group of girls that I’m having a great time coaching,” Darby said.

The team kicked off their season with a loss to Poolesville, then a blowout victory against Walter Johnson, where the team won 65-5. Freshman Isabella Davis-Astada, freshman captain Maddy Mathew and sophomore captain Andrea Santos were all top scorers in the Dec. 10 victory. However, on Dec. 14, the team was forced to take a 14-day pause in their season due to a COVID-19 outbreak.

The team returned to play after winter break, but has struggled, losing their past three games. On Jan. 6, the team played rival Churchill at home but despite their efforts, they lost the game 37-8.  Then, a week later, the team lost again at home to Magruder, 39-19. “We definitely lost some crucial time due to COVID, but we’re back in the gym now and the players are all working very hard and focusing on getting better every single day,” Darby said.

Most recently, the team faced off at Richard Montgomery on Jan. 14. Due to injuries, the team only had six players and lost the game 42-6. “It was tough… but we played the best we could,” Santos said. 

Overall, the main goal of the team is to have fun together. Through practices, games and team dinners the girls have bonded. “I’m looking forward to many team bondings that will pay off during games,” freshman Nibras Hassan said.

The players are looking forward to the second half of the season and hope to turn their record around. By means of vigorous practices and COVID-safe team bonding activities, the team hopes to see improvement in their record. “In our final five games, I anticipate that our team will come together and play at its full potential,” sophomore Alexa Ntchobo said.

The team played Kennedy on Jan. 18, too late to be covered in this article. Their next game will be against Northwood on Jan. 21.