pvi basketball

Consistency Helps PVI Defeat Two Ranked Teams

By David Steinbacher
Special to the HERALD
(From the Issue of 1/18/07)

When it comes to diocesan high school basketball, some of the teams are on a hot streak and some are struggling.
The Paul VI Panther boys’ team is one of the hottest teams in the entire metro area. PVI, coached by Levi Franklin, recently won two contests, both against WCAC rivals and teams ranked in the Top 20.
PVI, ranked #10 at the time by the Washington Post, defeated Gonzaga 70-57 on Jan. 12. The Eagles came into the contest ranked #11. The Panthers blistered the nets from the outside during that contest, scoring 30 points on three-point shots.
On Jan. 13, the Panthers defeated McNamara 61-50. The Mustangs came into that contest ranked #13.
In the two games combined, the Panthers were led by Adrian Mills (44 points), Donald Johnson (28), Ron Burks (20), Calvin Mainor (13) and Luc Atangana (11).
"Ever since the O'Connell loss on Jan. 7 our guys have been playing a lot more consistently, both offensively and defensively,” said Franklin. “They are starting to understand what really needs to be done now (at both ends of the court)."
The O'Connell boys improved to 10-5 overall with an impressive 62-57 win versus Carroll on Jan. 15. The Knights had to overcome a 28-25 halftime deficit in order to prevail. They outscored the Lions 37-29 in the final 16 minutes.
O'Connell was paced by freshman Kendall Marshall (21), Jason Clark (20), Frank Ben-Eze (six) and Doug Howard (six).
Clark, with still another season of eligibility after this one, has recently committed to playing college basketball for Georgetown University.
The Ireton boys have continued to drop a number of close contests. The Cardinals, coached by Mark Vincent in his first season, dropped a 55-52 contest to Carroll on Jan. 13. Ireton led 26-25 at halftime, but the Lions outscored the Cardinals 30-26 in the second half en route to the victory.
The Cardinals were paced by Mike Williams (12), Javorn Farrell (11), Andrew Rodriguez (11), Jaz Hicks (10), Tim Blaine (five) and Kyle Snodgrass (three).
Farrell, only a sophomore, is rated as one of the top 100 sophomores in America by a number of publications.
All three of the diocesan girls’ teams have hit bumps in the road in recent days. PVI, coached by Scott Allen, dropped its two most recent games against some stiff competition.
The young Lady Panthers dropped a 51-45 contest to McNamara on Jan. 13. PVI was ranked #13 and McNamara was ranked #6 by the Washington Post prior to that contest.
On Jan. 12, PVI dropped a 62-50 decision to powerhouse Holy Cross. The Lady Tartans, one of many strong teams in the WCAC, came into that contest ranked #2. Notre Dame Academy of Middleburg, another diocesan team, has been ranked #1 by the Post all season long.
Jalinda Venable knocked down two treys for the Panthers versus the Tartans.
Thus, the Panthers have faced some heavyweight competition of late.
In the two losses, PVI was paced by Danae Hill (25 combined points), Briana Johnson (16), Venable (16), Shanna Suttington (14) and Jasmine Murray (11).
"We've got a good young team, but we need to develop more consistency," said Allen.
The Lady Panthers dropped to 10-6 overall and 5-3 in the WCAC.
The O'Connell girls dropped a 60-39 decision to Carroll in their most recent outing on Jan. 15. The Lady Knights, coached by Jimmy Brown, are also young this season.
The Knights trailed the Lions 26-19 in a competitive first half, but were outscored 34-20 in the rather lopsided second half.
Brown remains optimistic despite early season struggles. "We're going to continue to compete (this season)," he said.
The Lady Knights were paced by Destiny White (16), Kelly Horvath (10) and Sara Jones (eight).
Injuries have also hit the Knights in varying degrees this season. O'Connell weighs-in at 5-11 overall, 1-6 in the WCAC.
The Ireton girls, coached by Mike Hutton, have been competitive but have also lost their share of close games this season. In the Lady Cardinals’ most recent outing, Ireton dropped a 52-49 contest to Carroll.
The Lady Cardinals trailed 21-18 at halftime. Both teams scored 31 second-half points and the Cardinals fell by the same margin that they trailed at halftime, three points.
Ireton was paced by Mary Kate Curry (17), Allie Cleaves (11), Marie Donahue (seven), Danielle Axenfeld (six), Rachel Martin (six) and Nadia Cathan (two).
Both Cleaves and Axenfeld are two of the top all-around athletes in Ireton history, but the WCAC is arguably the toughest conference in the metro area and depth is somewhat of a concern this season for Hutton. Ireton dropped to 6-9 overall on the season.