B-CC girls reach end of the road

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

B-CC girls reach end of the road

by John Y. Wehmueller | Staff Writer

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The Bethesda-Chevy Chase girls basketball team took the familiar bus trip to Burtonsville last Wednesday. What waited at the other end was undefeated Paint Branch and the end of the Barons’ season, a 76-61 loss in the 3A West Region semifinals.

‘‘We get to this point pretty much every season,” B-CC coach Rob Kurtz said. ‘‘The drive down Route 29. Credit to them; they’re just better than us.”

B-CC (13-10) was not better than Paint Branch (22-0) this season, but it was better than it was supposed to be. After starting 2-6, the Barons won eight of their final 10 games to finish second to the Panthers in the Montgomery 3A East Division and earn the fourth seed to the regional playoffs. Two of its losses came in a prestigious holiday tournament.

This despite graduating two-time All-Gazette first-team guard Nalini Hawkins from last year’s regional top seed. Hawkins scored 21.1 points per game as a senior, and 1,424 total in her career, yet the Barons reached the same point in the playoffs this year as last.

Balance replaced star power, with four players averaging between 8.8 and 10.1 points per game this season. The Barons’ top scorer was its only senior, forward Allie Russo, also their leading rebounder. Russo finished her final high school game with 9 points and 6 rebounds, mostly in the second half.

‘‘I think we exceeded expectations,” Kurtz said. ‘‘We only had one senior. The girls progressed nicely. What we lose in Allie is all the intangibles. Hopefully other girls can pick that up next season.”

Among next year’s returnees are the entire starting backcourt of juniors Maggie King (8.8 points per game) and Alicia Gorina (9.6) and sophomore Bria White (9.2). King runs the point; White is a pure scorer with 3-point range; Gorina is a slasher who led the Barons against Paint Branch with 17 points.

The return of three big post players – juniors Ariana Stowe (5-foot-11) and Maria Ontiveros (6-foot) and freshman Maddie Hook (6-2) – should help make up some of Russo’s production next year. Junior Kenza Sijelmassi and sophomore Tena Thau will continue to bring energy and defense.

Once again in 2009, though, the Barons’ road to states is most likely Route 29 North.

‘‘They are the better team, and the better team won,” Kurtz said of the Panthers. ‘‘I hope the better team wins three more games [through the state final]. It would make me feel better about our three losses to them.”