It doesn’t matter where the Oakton Cougars finish during the regular season, because Fred Preister’s Cougars are a major threat come the district and regional tournament. The past three years Oakton has finished third in the Concorde regular season race, and remarkably, still won the Concorde Tournament each year. Oh, and the Cougars have qualified for states every year as well.
This year could be a little different as we expect Oakton to be a favorite, albeit a slight one, during the regular season as well. Brooke Chang and Sophie Toole, Oakton’s talented and experienced backcourt, are now seniors after playing their entire careers together on the varsity. The two comprise one of the best guard combos in Northern Virginia. Toole is a defensive ace who can apply pressure the whole game and still run the offense. She’s relentless, and is especially effective attacking the rim. Chang is very good as well, an offensive weapon inside and out who can also push and handle the ball. This could be the year the pair lead Oakton deep into the state tourney.
They have help, too. Junior small forward Jocelynn Kinlaw remains a budding star, and it is telling Priester has put the ball in her hands in key situations even as an underclassman. Kinlaw is strong and athletic enough to post up and defend almost anyone down low, yet has become way more of a weapon from the perimeter as well. Her size and athleticism are formidable.
The Cougars did lose three solid seniors and will need to replace their production. Five other players return from last year’s roster who should step in seamlessly: senior guards Emma Brault and Lauren Portillo, senior forward Elliott Durham, junior guard Sahana Komanduri, and sophomore guard Giselle Liu, also a standout in field hockey. That’s sufficient depth, but the Cougars could still be in trouble if they get into foul trouble during close games.
Who steps up in addition to Chang, Toole, and Kinlaw could be the key to Oakton’s lofty goals this season.
If Oakton falters, or really doesn’t even feel pressed to really turn it on until tournament time, there remains ample contenders in the Concorde that are also threats to make states. The Chantilly Chargers have come just short of that goal the past two seasons after getting felled by Oakton in the Northern Region Tournament both years.
The Chargers only lost five seniors off last year’s roster, and return some big guns. None bigger than legit center Alex Wilson, who recently announced her intention to strut her stuff as a Peacock for St. Peter’s University’s Division I squad in Jersey next year. Wilson has really improved over the last year to the point of dominance. She’s 6’3″, and even with her size and strength is quick on her feet. Very few public school teams will be able to counter her, in the Concorde and well beyond.
Wilson down low will help open up Chantilly’s shooters from outside, and none are more potent than senior guard Alivia Tarry. Tarry, who recently committed to play at Washington and Lee next season, can really score. Last year she had to play the point guard, of which she is very capable, when pure point guard Abigail Goodman went down with an ACL injury. This year with Goodman back she should be able to get more shots off the ball. That’s valuable, because Tarry is one of the better three-point threats in the area.
Junior forward Amelia Hilton brings length and athleticism alongside Wilson, and her ability to hit the elbow jumper is also a powerful weapon with Wilson in the paint. Hilton’s progress this year might be a big key to the Chargers’ hopes, as she could be a budding All-Concorde-type player. Another Goodman, junior Madelyn, also brings depth in the backcourt. In fact, the Chargers are a fairly deep program, overall, which helps. Coach Josh Regan thinks his club will have a more diverse offense this season, which would make them difficult to defend.
The Centreville Wildcats had an interesting offseason. The Wildcats lost the sensational Kennedy Parrott, who is now playing at Colgate, and lost point guard Claire Kang, who had been on the varsity for three years. Kang transferred to Virginia Academy. Still, most onlookers say Centreville could very well still win the Concorde and have a similarly good year as last season’s 21-win campaign.
Strangely, the Wildcats get a transfer from Virginia Academy as well. Guard Aliza Murray comes over, and the Maryland-Eastern Shore commit is a rocket-fast, athletic guard who excels in transition. She’s going to be a tough matchup on both sides of the ball for opponents. With senior guard Dani Cuellar also back, a floor general who also can be very dangerous in transition, expect the Wildcats to play a ton of up-tempo basketball.
Senior guard-forward Malia Siriwardene also returns, and she is poised to break out (even more) this season. With tight handle, length, jumping ability, and an ability to attack the rim and get to the line, Siriwardene should average 15-20 points per game this season. She’s already committed to play basketball at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
There’s young talent and depth, mostly in the backcourt and on the wing. Junior Molly Veley can get hot from long range and she’ll get more opportunities to score this season as Murray, Cuellar, and Siriwardene collapse defenses by attacking the lane. Three other returnees will have to play bigger roles this season, especially sophomore wings Clara Stauffer and Zee Johnson. The Wildcats are not big, so everyone will have to rebound.
While the Concorde is commonly thought of as a three-team race, don’t sleep on the Madison Warhawks. Madison has a lot of returning young talent, especially in the frontcourt. That could create matchup problems with a lot of teams. Plus, they have a sold returning guard in senior Jada Ramos-Diggs. Ramos-Diggs is a good defensive player, and adds a ton when she is effectively and efficiently attacking the basket. Increased offensive efficiency from her would go a long way this season, because the Warhawks lost to graduation one of the more efficient guards in the area–Ava Wu.
Senior guard Isabella Lozier, a starter, does return to provide more stability. Lozier and Ramos-Diggs will be essential cogs and log major minutes, though young, tall sophomore guard Annalise Decker is also back. The frontcourt though, is loaded. 5’10” forwards Sophia Manning and Emily Linegang played a lot as freshmen last season and held up well. Add to that solid junior forwards in Olivia Henderson, Riley Brick, and Allison Creighton, and Coach Kirsten Stone has lots of options. Creighton started a lot of games at the five last year, and the talented Brick provides a little more mobility if Stone decides to go a little smaller.
Madison is going to have to play good defense to be successful, but they usually do and have the ability this year to do so again. The key will be keeping their guards healthy, and establishing at least one of their young bigs as a consistent offensive threat.
The Westfield Bulldogs and South Lakes Seahawks were afforded no mercy in the brutal Concorde last year, with the team’s split of their head-to-head series each school’s only win in the district. But the outlook is positive for both programs for a myriad of reasons.
At Westfield, accomplished Head Coach Alice Andersen begins her second season, and she only loses two seniors from last year’s six-win team. Four starters return, to include senior guard Cameron Gallagher. Gallagher guarded some of the tough guards of the Concorde last year and held up well–she’s a player. Junior guard Ava Andersen is coming into her own, and senior guard Alexa Caiazza and senior forward Zoe Boggs are back as well. We like how Boggs uses her body to take charges and mix it up inside.
Senior wing Katelyn Brubaker is back after providing shooting off the bench last season, and sophomore guard Abigail Isabela Santos was in the rotation last season as well. Santos is one of many solid young players in the program that might to bode well for the future.
Meanwhile at South Lakes, the Seahawks got a steal by hiring former Herndon Head Coach Mike Wills. It’ll be an uphill battle in the near-term, but Wills should be able to improve the program’s outlook in the long run.
Wins this year will be tough in the Concorde, but the cupboard is hardly bare. Five freshmen and three sophomores got experience on the varsity last year, and the Seahawks get back senior guard Taylor Cole-Reeder. She’s tough to handle going to the basket, and she’s adept at rebounding an opponents’ miss and immediately triggering a fast break.
–Chris Jollay