December marks the beginning of another season of high school basketball, and PA’s girls team has started their season off strong with a 4-0 record. This impressive record is nothing new though, as the team is looking to win their 15th state championship this year and their 12th in the past 15 years. With a strong and talented roster consisting of both veterans and newcomers, the Lady Cavaliers are looking to continue growing the dynasty that is PA girls basketball.
After their victory over James River Midlothian for their 14th state title last year, the team has high hopes of repeating their successful season. After losing several seniors, captain senior Abby Sabatino explained that this year “everyone would need to step up.” She explained the team put in extra hours over the summer to ensure they were ready for this season. “We all have to work a lot harder as a whole,” Sabatino said.
The season opened with their first game against Bayside High School at PA’s “Dozier Dome” which was named after head coach Darnell Dozier. PA dominated the game, winning 92-5. The next week, PA took on Green Run, where they swept the Stallions with a score of 95-28. Since then, the Cavaliers have dominated games throughout the region, winning by margins as high as 76 points.
Captain sophomore Micah Ojo explained that the team is able to be so successful in the regular season as it is up to everybody to “do their part.” She elaborated, saying “even if you’re not one of the main scorers, finding other ways to impact the game is really important, especially in those tougher games.”
Since her standout season last year, becoming the first freshman to win the Class 5 player of the year in basketball, Ojo is returning to build on her success. She explains she has taken on a bigger leadership role as a captain this year, and says she is trying to become “more comfortable talking and saying out loud what [she] sees.” She added that communication was key on and off the court in order to “build that bond.”
The loss of multiple seniors from last year means the addition of new players to the team. Junior Tristan Rickenbacer is a new player this year, and she described how she adjusted to the team dynamic of the Cavaliers. “It was kind of hard at first,” she said. “But having girls that I look up to as family made it really easy to adjust.”
Sabatino emphasized the strength of the bond shared by the team, both on and off the court. “We know each other as players, and we can really understand each other as players.”
Another facet to their success is their work ethic, Ojo explained. The team starts conditioning in the summer and holds practice all throughout the school year. “We definitely have to practice like we play if we want to win,” said Ojo. “We need to put full energy, full effort into every drill, every rep, because it’s just going to make us better.”
The Lady Cavs are no strangers to success, but Sabatino cautioned against becoming too comfortable throughout the rest of the season. “Anything can happen,” she explained. “We have to be able to continue to work hard and realize that we still have to improve in order to get to our main goal.” Their main goal, Sabatino said, is to win another state championship.
Upcoming matches for the girls team are Tuesday, Dec. 17 against Ocean Lakes and Friday, Dec. 20 against First Colonial. Both games will be held at home at 7 p.m.
