This past month, the girls basketball team at Princess Anne kicked off another season, already showing their well known dominance of years past. With a perfect 9-0 record so far, as well as a talented and experienced roster, the team looks to exceed expectations again, and win another state championship.
After a state title in March of 2023, defeating L.C. Bird High School in the championship game, expectations were high for the team, with hopes for a repeat title winner. Co-captain senior Celeste Bailey is one of multiple players who desire another back-to-back title, saying the team’s main goal is to win the state championship and “continue being a rigorous program for girls basketball.”
That rigorous nature has been commonplace at PA under Coach Darnell Dozier, who has coached PA to 13 state titles in 28 seasons.
A major strength for the team this year is mentality, as the team has already shown the ability to work well together, from freshman to senior. Senior shooting guard Jasiah Olds described the team as “very different” than others, saying that “we’re not only physically strong, but all of us are mentally strong.”
One team quality that multiple players emphasized was the ability to play solid defense, considering it a key to success. In addition, Olds described the presence of six seniors on the roster as something that’s “going to help out a lot.”
Among the players joining PA this year is Micah Ojo, a freshman who has been nationally ranked by ESPN as a top prospect for the class of 2027. Already a top scorer as a forward for the Cavaliers, she accomplished a rare quadruple-double against Kellam on Dec. 15, leading with 19 points. On coming to PA, she said “it’s definitely a great feeling. I knew I was going to come because I know that Coach Dozier and all of them are just going to push me to my best.”
In each regular season game that’s been played until this point, PA has been overwhelmingly dominant in the region, with game margins as high as 89 points. While these results may be indicative of another solid regular season for Princess Anne, the team has made sure to not to become overconfident, especially with greater challengers in the future. Ojo described the team mindset, saying “we just have to stay humble, because most of these teams we’ll have to play again.”
Dec. 28 marks the beginning of the Boo Williams Holiday Classic in Hampton, a tournament set to include many of the top teams in the state. It will ultimately be tournaments like these, as well as the VHSL playoffs in February and March, that will define the 2023-24 season for PA.
With Cavalier basketball off to such a strong start, only one question remains: What will other teams have to do to beat undefeated Princess Anne? Ojo described how it would take a collective physical and mental effort, saying “they’ll have to play better defense than us, and just have better chemistry on the team. Even though I’ve only known them for three months, we’ve been able to develop that really fast.”
