STARTERS
G. Laila Tull, South County–Tull had such a good season for Patriot Tournament champion South County that she was voted Patriot co-POY along with Robinson’s Georgia Simonsen. She’s a lead guard with good size and superior handle who can score a ton–from deep, on the drive, and even in the post. Tull’s leaping ability and height allow her to contribute significantly on the boards, and her versatility allows SoCo to play a number of different lineups. She’s like a quarterback on defense, too, with good footwork.
G-F. Key Rainey, Osbourn Park–Tull does it all, as does Osbourn Park’s Key Rainey. Rainey plays much bigger than her 5’8″, 5’9″ size, often racking up double digit rebounds. She’s got great jumping ability and is very physical. Because she can hold up physically against bigger players on defense, she can play the frontcourt, where on offense she uses her superior quickness to run circles around her opponents. Able to play at guard as well and push the ball up the floor, Rainey led the state champs in scoring at almost 15 a game.
G. Samia Snead, Osbourn Park–Snead has come a long way the past couple years for Osbourn Park. As a starter she often plays the point for the Jackets. Snead does a good job at that, but she can also play off ball, because she’s one of the best long-range shooters in Northern Virginia. She can absolutely bury teams from long range as she did against West Potomac in the state semis, where she hit seven three-pointers. Along with seemingly everybody on Osbourn Park’s roster, she’s a tenacious defender.
F. Reagan Edsell, John Handley–Edsell put up video game stats for John Handley this season as she upped her game to yet another level. The 5’10” forward averaged around 23 points per game, 13 rebounds per game, and seven steals per game as she led the Judges once more to the regional tournament. A versatile player with multiple DI offers, Edsell impacts the game in a ton of ways. She’s athletic and finishes very well in transition. She can drain the three, and uses her leaping ability to punish other teams in the post.
F. Alyssa Stanford, Heritage–Stanford has been good throughout her high school career, racking up double-doubles for the Pride. Now, she’s thought of as an emerging star after scoring 23 points and grabbing 15 rebounds in Heritage’s Class 4 state title win. Stanford is hardly just a forward who just gets rebounds and garbage buckets down low. She runs the floor well and has very good stamina–she’s relentless. Stanford has three-point range and will fire away mid-range jumpers at teams that play her drive too much. On defense she shows very good anticipation–in the state final she played all 32 minutes and had three blocks and four steals.
RESERVES
G. Sophie Toole, Oakton–Toole continues to get it done in the backcourt for the Cougars alongside fellow junior Brooke Chang, who also could have easily made this team. Toole is asked to do a lot for the Cougars. She usually functions as the point guard. She’s a superior, athletic, aggressive defender and she often is tasked with defending the opposition’s best player. While on offense she is comfortable setting up others by driving the lane and dishing, she is capable of taking over games when the Cougars need buckets down the stretch. Toole was voted Second Team Class 6 All-State this season.
G. Alivia Tarry, Chantilly–Tarry had been playing a lot of off-guard to highlight her fantastic shooting/scoring ability, but an injury to Charger point guard Abigail Goodman meant Tarry had to slide back to point guard. She did that capably. Voted First Team Northern Region, Tarry did a very effective job protecting the ball and distributing to the Chargers’ bigs. She still managed to score effectively as well, averaging well into double figures. Tarry highlights a very strong Chantilly junior class that also includes talented center Alex Wilson.
G. Claire Kang, Centreville–We think point guard Claire Kang was a little overlooked this season for the Wildcats. She’s been a force since she stepped on the court as a freshman, but Kang clearly took her game up another notch this season. Known for her tremendous energy, Kang was still able to play a ton of minutes for Centreville this year and play with efficiency. She didn’t take bad shots, shooting over 50% from the field and averaging around 14 points a game. Still, she managed to distribute effectively to Kennedy Parrott and the rest of the Wildcats.
G. Dawn Houston, West Potomac–Houston also took a significant jump this season. A defensive ace, she again did everything the Wolverines needed her to do this season on defense, racking up steals on the perimeter and guarding bigger players down low when necessary. Though a guard, the athletic and tough Houston rebounds like a forward. What changed this year was Houston’s offense, which she brought to the table far more consistently this season with three-pointers and by setting up her teammates. Houston remains a weapon in transition as well.
G. Riley Makitka, Heritage–Heritage has a lot of good players, but the Pride’s success really does hinge on Makitka in a lot of ways. A very quick and energetic point guard, she is effective at bypassing the defensive traps other teams throw Heritage’s way. On defense she is an able on-the-ball defender, which gives the Pride an ability to play more pressure defenses of their own. While she’s a spearhead defender, ball-handler, and distributor first, Makitka can influence the game in a lot of other ways. She gets to a lot of rebounds and will punish defenses that don’t provide help to her defender.
G. Madison Coutinho, Robinson–Coutinho is another energetic point guard that clearly improved a ton in the last year. Another top-notch defender like Houston and Makitka, Coutinho is very quick and is as tough as they come. She’ll dive to tie up balls with no hesitation. With the ability to pick pockets, she’s always a threat to go coast-to-coast, and this year she did damage receiving long outlet passes after Rams defensive rebounds. Her half-court offense has improved tons–she uses her dribble to set up teammates effectively and mixes in the three-point shot at opportune times.
G. Alexis Cox, Hayfield–This might be the most point-guard rich team we’ve ever done. Cox had another good year for Hayfield, earning Second Team All-Occoquan Region honors. On defense she has superior anticipation–she’s one of the best in the area getting in passing lanes out of a half-court or full-court zone defense. She’s a proven point guard, but honestly Hayfield needed her to score against top competition to have success. Cox always answered the bell, too. While she’s great passer, she’s also a good three-point shooter and can attack the rim effectively.
F. Peyton White, Gainesville–White is an old-fashioned dominant player down low. A six-foot forward, White is pretty much automatic if you let her get the ball anywhere near the basket. This season she averaged a double-double, with 14 ppg and 10 rpg. If that wasn’t enough, White averaged over four blocks a game and already has over 200 for her high school career. She can be dominant defensively, such as when she blocked nine shots versus Freedom. Offensively there is upside, and it will be important for her to keep improving her shooting range as she goes forward.
F. Alainah McKavish, Clarke County–The Player of the Year in the Bull Run District is a fun player to watch if you get the chance. A 5’11” forward, McKavish averaged over 20 points per game this season. She is effective in transition and attacking the basket with either hand, and is a plus-three-point shooter. Though she’s a forward, she can essentially function as a guard, attacking the lane with a spin move and either continuing to the rim or dishing to teammates. Her length provides opponents problems on defense, especially in Class 2 where there aren’t many players like her.
HONORABLE MENTION
Abigail Beddis (West Potomac); Eleanor Mahshie (Yorktown); Madison Shamloo (Langley); Amanda Gobeille (Potomac Falls); Brooke Chang (Oakton); Maggie Mills (Loudoun Valley); Alyssa Tribino (Loudoun Valley); Payton Mandichak (Loudoun Valley); Julia Ehrmantrout (Heritage); Malia Siriwardene (Centreville); Dani Cuellar (Centreville); Kennedy Marshall (Edison); Alex Wilson (Chantilly); Jalyn Childress (Lightridge); Chloe Williams (Brooke Point); Maia Brown (Riverside); Tanvi Kancharla (Briar Woods); Brianna Zaher (Briar Woods); Sienna Bhide (Broad Run); Anika Badatala (John Champe); Samantha Belvo (Wakefield); Dominique Harris (Wakefield); Kalaia Hardy (Stafford); Eve Jungman (Washington-Liberty); Reagan Giuliano (Herndon); Jane Moreland (Millbrook); Taylor Cole-Reeder (South Lakes); Lyzabeth Scriva (Skyline); Payton Brown (Brentsville District); Natalie Marvin (Brentsville District); Parker Lowden (Robinson); Lanise Dixon (Robinson); Lilia Mellor (West Springfield); Maya Wilson (West Springfield); Emma Cajchun (Lake Braddock); Isabella Conklin (Woodson); Cameron Gallagher (Westfield); Jada Ramos-Diggs (Madison); Jayel West (Osbourn Park); Jaelyn Gorham (Osbourn Park); Miya Semenuk (Potomac); Michaela Thornton (Forest Park); Reagan Cathcart (Hylton); Eva Philips (Hayfield); Madison Davis (Hayfield); Taylor Rivers (Justice); Julia Baer (Thomas Jefferson); Jada Curry (Mount Vernon); Molly Bollhorst (Lightridge); Paige Stemberger (Clarke County); Audrey Szebalskie (Tuscarora); Paige Hahn (Tuscarora)