The Langley Saxons have gone 44-4 in the Liberty the last four seasons, and last year they went undefeated in the district in the regular season. Not only did Amanda Baker’s team go on to win the Liberty Tournament, the Saxons won the Northern Region Tournament as well.
So, start with Langley as the favorite in the Liberty for good reason. The Saxons only lost three players off last year’s roster. Those three players were highly significant, however: Anya Rahman (Carnegie Mellon), center Peyton Daley, plus District Rookie of the Year Alice Allen (transferred to Paul VI). That means while a lot of talent and experience returns, Langley will have to still replace a significant amount of production.
Two starters return in senior point guard Madison Shamloo and sophomore small forward Mariah Armah. Shamloo is a very talented guard with size who has been on the varsity since she entered high school. She will have to score more this season with Rahman, Daley, and Allen gone, and she is capable. She’s also an excellent and relentless defender. Armah burst onto the scene as a freshman, earning First Team All-Liberty honors. She’s a potential star, a wing with outstanding length who is way more coordinated attacking the basket than most young players her size should be. Plus, she can hit the three.
Senior guard Victoria Zawisza will likely move into the starting lineup and provide valuable scoring punch after serving as the team’s sixth woman last year. Lost in the hype of Allen and Armah last season was the fact the Saxons also had two other freshmen on the roster last year that should contribute more as sophomores–guard Alexandra Giantzis and forward Helena Hernandez. The Saxons will miss Daley’s presence down low, but there’s lots of other returning forwards that should do the job on the boards, including senior Mary Christie and junior Eleanor Byrne.
Langley’s defense should be top notch. The key to another state tournament run will be offense. Can the Saxons get enough of it in the clutch?
Who will contend with Langley? The most likely candidates might come from Arlington. The Washington-Liberty Generals have an interesting new coach in Buck Willis, who came over from Wakefield after being a long-time assistant on Coach Tony Bentley’s guys team. He knows a ton about basketball, so the adjustment from the guys game to the girls game should be minimal, and he’s got the potential to motivate an already talented roster.
Senior center Eve Jungman wasn’t healthy last year but the Dartmouth signee is back, and she’s a powerful weapon down low. Her sister, sophomore Anna, filled in admirably when Eve was hurt last season and now can form a strong sisterly 1-2 punch at the 4-5. Anna is not as dominant as Eve in the low post, but she can rebound and really run the floor. If the Jungmans stay healthy the Generals have the potential to dominate the boards against some teams.
Junior guard Kat Wagener, a First Team All-Liberty selection, is back as well. She’s a very dynamic, tall guard who can be a one-woman scoring show or run a more deliberate offense and distribute the ball as needed. Five other players on the roster return and their task will be trying to replace some of the three-point shooting (Julia Kelly) and perimeter defense (Frances Shapiro) lost to graduation.
The Yorktown Patriots are a dark horse contender this season as well. After winning four district games two years in a row, last year the Patriots finished 6-6. This year the Patriots have a new coach in former Marymount player and McLean assistant Jessica Turgon. She should prove a capable leader for a squad that has been building for this season for three years.
Four seniors are gone from last year’s team, but most of the firepower returns. Senior guard Eleanor Mahshie, a first team district pick, is the headliner. She is a proven point guard who is solid in every facet of the game. Turgon will no doubt want the ball in Mahshie’s hands as much as possible, and she’s smart and brings length on defense as well.
Mahshie will score a lot, but she’s got good options to dish to. Elena Debevec can also play point guard, and she has a great-looking shot from long range and is a very aggressive guard. She’s part of a solid Yorktown junior class that also includes forward Olivia Shiplett and wing Ainsley Lomas. Both can score and are also valuable on defense–Shiplett can defend the paint and Lomas was an all-district defensive pick. Add promising sophomore guard Molly Cooper to the mix, and you see why people are high on Yorktown this season.
Whether they can contend for the Liberty crown is debatable, but the Patriots are very likely to be near the top of the district.
Another team that should be better this year is the Marshall Statesmen. Marshall finished fifth in the Liberty last season and lost two starters, plus shot-blocker Shea Scott. Nine players return, however.
Liberty All-Rookie sophomore guard Anne Hall is back, and she did a great job providing a mix of ball-handling and scoring as a freshman in Doug Sawitzky’s balanced offense last year. She’ll likely be joined in the starting lineup by a pair of juniors, Madison Evans and Kate Kuczkowski. Kuczkowski is a high-octane guard who can hit the three and plays with intensity, and was an Honorable Mention All-Liberty selection last season.
Senior guard Paige Lee, who does a lot of things well, is one of those players who could lead the Statesmen in points, rebounds, steals, or assists on any given night. Sophomore Rima Lawlor is also back after being in the rotation as a freshman. She’s a good athlete and will likely play an even bigger role this season. Four athletic freshmen also arrive on the varsity to provide depth.
Marshall is well-stocked in the backcourt and will play good perimeter defense–the key is how well they hold up in the frontcourt. If they can rebound and defend the post, they’ll be very solid.
Are we sleeping on the McLean Highlanders? After all, all five of their starters last year were seniors, highlighted by Tatum Olson (now playing at Emory) and the school’s all-time leading rebounder, Alyssa Evans. They’ll fall off, right?
Well, it is a lot more of an uphill climb this season, but Pat Deegan does have significant young talent. Sophomore guard Charlotte Gaskins flashed a lot of ability last season as a rotation player. She’s got good size for a guard and is already effective from beyond the arc. 5’10” sophomore forward Isabel Studart also got time last year on the senior-laden team and should start this season. Junior guard Cora Stevens is a ridiculous athlete who was injured for a chunk of last year, but she has proven herself very capable on the AAU circuit.
There’s others, though we haven’t seen all of them play yet. Expect McLean to take lumps early, but we’ll be very curious to see what kind of team this is come February.
There seems like there’s brighter days ahead for last year’s one-district win teams last season, the Wakefield Warriors and the Herndon Hornets. Wakefield has had a lot of instability since coaching legend Marcia Richardson stepped down in 2019, but veteran coach Marcus McKinney is back this season after taking the job last year. That is crucial, as Wakefield’s younger players will have stability coming back.
McKinney has weapons at his disposal. Senior guard Dominique Harris is very good in transition especially, as are a few of her teammates. Junior guard Lilah Denton and sophomore guard Lucy Strawn, who can get hot from long range, also gained valuable experience last season. Returning forwards Millie Marston and Samantha Belvo will be counted on to step up after the graduation of Sabrin Anderson.
Herndon returns four starters from last year’s squad and will also be better. Three seniors–Reagan Giuliano, Emilia Korsvall, and Nina Whale, will power the Hornets. Plus, they have a possible budding star in sophomore guard Payton Harrison, who was voted Second Team All-Liberty last year. She has an excellent stroke from long-range.
–Chris Jollay
Late Note: McLean’s Gaskins and Studart transferred to private schools.
Later Note: Kate Kuczkowski of Marshall will not play to concentrate on another sport.