Girls JV Basketball: New coach ready to lead team- Jill Geline, Senior Sports Editor

Under new head coach, Ozzy Smith, the JV girls’ basketball team is excited to start a new chapter in its run for victory.
After nearly a decade of coaching the JV squad, former coach Tim Renehan moved out of the area, and has left big shoes to be filled by Smith, who said he is up for the challenge.

On Nov. 15 at 2:45 p.m., all of the girls trying out for the basketball program met on the track, shivering due to nerves and the cold weather. With direction from varsity head coach Maggie Dyer and Smith, all girls were instructed to partake in a few running exercises that would show the coaches their level of conditioning. Everyone was outside for around 45 minutes, then Dyer told the girls that they had five minutes to get changed, get their basketball shoes on and to be in the lower gym ready to play. From here, all of the girls participated in ball handling drills, and also had some time to play 3 on 3 and 5 on 5 games. When the tryout was over, a list was put up in the team room, letting the girls know which tryout they would be invited to attend the following day.

The next day, Nov. 16, those girls invited to come back to the JV tryout needed to be ready at 4:45 p.m.. This time though, the tryout for them was in the main gym. After running through drills led by Smith, and scrimmages against one another, Smith let all of the girls know that they made the team. “The girls on basketball are all so nice and supportive, the community is great and I love it so far,” freshman Leah Starr said.

Their first practice took place on Nov. 17, followed by practice each day but Sunday, leading up to their first scrimmage versus Walkersville, a team from Frederick County. The scrimmage was split into four mini games. As this was the first time the team played together against other competition, and not themselves, the scrimmage did not go in the Patriots’ favor. There was no final score, as after each quarter, the score for both teams reset back to zero. Coming off of this scrimmage, the Patriots know that they have to work hard in practice to get their team chemistry up, in order for the scores of games to be in their favor. “So far basketball has been super fun. The team has gotten to know everyone very well and we have all gotten closer,” freshman Sarah Woodward said.

With the leadership of Smith, this mission is possible. “It was our first time playing together as a team and we learned a lot on what to practice and it was good practice for the regular season,” sophomore Sabrina Shah said.

Up next for the Patriots was another scrimmage versus Oakdale on Nov. 28, which is also in Frederick County. The Patriots also lost their scrimmage against Oakdale. They played much better as a team, and their defense improved from the previous scrimmage, but the squad is still learning how to play as a team. The final score of the game cannot be provided, as after each quarter, the score reset.

The Patriots scrimmaged against Bethesda Chevy Chase (BCC) on Nov. 29 at BCC. Too late to be covered in this issue.

Boys JV Basketball: Season looks bright after two scrimmage wins- Aaron Strauss, Staff Writer

Under returning coach Andre Gaines, who is also the varsity football defensive coach, the team will look to improve from the past good season. Led by sophomores Jack Moskowitz and Edward Dolan, the team looks poised to have a successful season.
The team has played two scrimmages in the pre-season against Gaithersburg and Damascus. Both scrimmages were played on away courts. Although the scrimmages are not official, the team won both games. They beat Gaithersburg in a five quarter scrimmage and had no officially recorded score. They also beat Damascus 57-28, blowing out the Hornets. “We played hard against both teams. I think we have a lot of potential this year so i’m excited for the season to start soon,” freshman Ethan Chelf said.
The team lost some of their star players from last year, current juniors; Greg Urovsky and Chris Vondas and sophomore Jack Levovsky got moved up to the varsity squad. The team plans to return sophomore guard Moskowitz and forward Edward Dolan. “With the talent we have this year, it should end up being a good season. I’m ready to ball,” Moskowitz said.

Gaines looks to improve off a previous great season with his new team. As former basketball player, he looks to help the boys on and off the court. “I hope to help improve a lot of the boys’ skills and have a good, fun season. I’m ready for it to start because I think it’ll be a great time and we have some great kids on the team,” Gaines said.

Although the team has a mostly new roster, expectations for them are still high. The majority of the team’s starting lineup is comprised of freshman. Freshman guards Miller Romm, Ethan Chelf, and Matty Koplan look to make some big plays for the team this season. Also, freshman forwards Jacob Kravitz and Ryan Feldman look to make an impact. “I’m happy to have made the team with some of my good friends. We have good chemistry so we’re going to ball,” Feldman said.

The team is scheduled to play 15 games this season, starting off away against Magruder on Dec. 5 at 3:45 p.m. Their first home game will be played on Dec. 15 at 3:45 p.m. against rival Churchill Bulldogs.