Here are some teams and players that are seemingly peaking at the right time:
Roosevelt- The defensive clinic that Roosevelt put on last Friday night vs Reagan was impressive. Roosevelt played primarily man defense and held the Rattlers to close to 20 points under their season average. The athleticism and intensity of the Roosevelt defense held Reagan leading scorers to a total of 4 points. Niaga Mitchell- Cole is a lock down defender and can rely on disciplined weak side help when being aggressive. With big wins over Jay, Churchill, and Reagan in the last month, Roosevelt may be peaking at the right time.
Jay- Just when Jay looked vulnerable, they beat district rival Stevens to reassert their standing. Now they get A LOT better with the return of Destiny Amezquita. Destiny is a TOP 10 kid in the city and that still may be too low. Very few players in the city has the complete triple threat offensive arsenal like Amezquita. She has NBA range, a super strong body and handle to drive and great vision as a passer. She had 17 points in a her season debut last week. With her return, the rich just got richer.
Smithson Valley- The Rangers are experienced and have four players that can score double figures on a nightly basis. They have veteran point guard play in Alison Salmon. Lauren Jay and Ashley Bryand are double double players in the post and Danielle Blagg is playing like a Division 1 signee should. Blagg had 28 points a couple weeks ago vs Champion and is shooting the ball well. In a city where final scores can be in the mid-30's, SV's ability to limit turnovers with veteran guard play and point production from multiple players bodes well for their district aspirations. Another benefit that SV has going for them is the fact that they have dropped to 4A. This veteran group has played the last few years in one of the most challenging 5A districts in the city, 26-5A.
Southwest- Shana Holmes is back and Southwest can not be ignored. Holmes gave Steele 26 points in a win last week and is still rusty from being out with an ACL injury. "Baby" Boone-Fudge is averaging 16 points and double figures in boards to complete a potent inside outside attack with Holmes. Southwest coach, Bill Avey, does a great job at letting his kids go. A healthy Holmes is the best scorer in the city and Avey is smart enough to let her do what she does best! This is a team that very few will want to play come February.
(Avey Side note: Bill Avey does a great job at instilling "pecking order" in his kids. When Holmes was out with the injury, players such as Tiffani Rodriguez helped fill the void and stepped up big. However, when his scoring machine came back, Avey made sure that his squad understood who would take a bulk of the shots and not surprisingly, the wins have followed. Avey has struggled through a few seasons and with the arrival of Holmes last season, he knows that great players are few and far between for most coaches in the city. What Avey is doing is very common in football around the city. When you have Malcolm Brown in your back field, give Malcolm Brown the ball!)
