For the 2008-2009 Patrick Henry Patriots, experience ruled the day. Though Head Basketball Coach Toree Dunleavy had to sweat certain details, like selecting the best way to attack an opponent’s zone defense, she always knew that each game she would be rolling out a formi- dable lineup led by her three seniors: Kate Norbo, Latoya Flint, and Ally Doane.
The trio didn’t disappoint, leading the Patriots to a 17-7 season and a runner-up finish to Franklin County in the Western Valley District, as well as a berth in the Northwest Region Tournament (Patrick Henry lost to Stafford in the first round).
But as district competition looms just around the corner, the 2009-10 team is still searching to replace its stars.
In addition to the three seniors, the Patriots also lost LaShe Walker, who moved to West Virginia over the summer. Besides the obvious void in experience, losing those four players has meant trying to find a way to replace over 35 points per game.
That’s a lot of production, but according to Dunleavy, it’s not the scoring that her team is missing – it’s the leadership.
“We really haven’t had someone step up into that role,” Dunleavy said. “It’s been hard, because we had a lot of that [leadership] last year, but we don’t have anyone filling that role yet.”
So far, it’s been the Achilles heel of her young squad, which is understandably off to a rough start. At 2-5, the Patriots have already suffered four, double-digit defeats, which is one more than all of last season combined. Indicative, surely, of a young team still searching to find their way.
“We’re still trying to find some chemistry on the court, and it’s been hard to come by so far,” Dunleavy said. As always, though, there are bright spots. For Patrick Henry, junior shooting guard Sarah Williams is just that. The team’s leading scorer (averaging just over 15 points per game), Williams should crack the 1,000 point barrier for her career sometime in the next 5-10 games.
In the backcourt with Wil- liams is sophomore point guard Shakeia Salters, who is recovering from a torn ACL suffered in the Patriots’ loss to Franklin County in the WVD Championship game last February. And down low, Dunleavy has been im- pressed with sophomore for- ward Zaynah Stephens. “She’s already hit some big shots and had some big rebounds for us,” Dunleavy said.
Those three players, among others, will be counted on to fill the void left by Norbo, Doane, and Flint. And the Patriots had better grow up soon. District play begins in less than a week, and this year the Western Valley District looks to be particularly strong. Last year’s champion, Franklin County, returns all but one starter and is already off to a 6-0 start. Joining them in the ranks of the unbeaten is G.W. Danville, who currently stands at 5-0. The William Fleming Colonels are 5-2 out of the gate, and Halifax looking much improved from last season, is off to a 4-1 start.
The Patriots are currently competing in a tournament in Pulaski, and will begin district play on January 5th when they travel to G.W. Danville to take on the Eagles.
By Matt Reeve [email protected]