Hard work seems to be paying off for the RHS girls varsity basketball team. The Lady Rams began their season with a 6-6 record. Led by senior captains Jaylah James, Mfon Akpaete and Laura Carey, the team has enough leadership to point them in the right direction, looking to improve even more from last year’s record of 14-8.
This season the team consists of 11 girls, only four of whom are seniors, and five of whom are freshmen. According to head coach Frank Weaver, the freshmen provide an imperative amount of speed, which allows the team to be quicker off of the dribble. Weaver is confident about his team this season. His positive outlook has improved each individual player’s confidence and allowed their teamwork to continue to improve.
“I’m hoping for a Sectional and Regional championship,” Weaver said.
In the season starter, the Lady Rams soared past the Magruder HS Colonels, with a 52-24 victory.
The strong leadership of senior captains Jaylah James (center) and Mfon Akpaete (forward) allows for the chemistry of the team to play out and allow the girls to play their own basketball game. James averages about 12 points per game and Akpaete averages about 8 points. Both girls are major threats on both the offensive and defensive end.
After the seniors graduate this year, the new and inexperienced freshmen players will need to step up to lead the team to another winning season or even a championship banner. Coach Weaver believes that the role and responsibility of the freshman could be difficult and stressful as they must pick up on the team’s different plays relevantly fast.
Sophomore point guard Emily Huynh believes this could be their best season yet. Her positive presence as a teammate allows for the young, inexperienced freshmen on the team to gain confidence.
“I think we’re going to do very well. We won’t lose as many games as we lost last year,” Huynh said. “Our bigs are a lot better and a lot faster this year and we have a lot of good shooters. I think we can go really far in the playoffs.”
Freshman Jadiah Piatt firmly believes in the team’s success this season.
“I think we will go undefeated this season. Our main strengths are playing defense,” Piatt said.
The team’s goal of an undefeated season was short-lived as the Quince Orchard HS Cougars pulled off a 66-21 win over the lady rams in their fifth game of the season. However, the team is optimistic, with hopes for an improvement from this game.
Despite 6 losses, the team has kept their heads up and continued to strive. With a big win over Albert Einstein, their confidence seems to be back.
The Lady Rams hosted the Wheaton HS Knights in an exciting game. The Lady Rams came through with the win, 29-28.
The exciting season for the Lady Rams is not over yet, as they are set to play their next game on January 23.