Blue Devils hope to make it three

Class 4A North Region Girls Basketball Preview

Though they are playing under a new authority, and though they lost last year’s leading scorer, Joia Daniels, to graduation, the Blue Devils (17-3) finished with the best overall record in the 4A East Division, reeled off five straight victories to end the season, and enter the 4A North Region playoffs as the bracket’s third seed. They hope to earn their third straight regional title.

Though some of the faces are new, the heart of the team is not. Senior point guard Taryn Christian, who recently gave a verbal commitment to play at Northeastern (Mass.), is a four-year starter for Springbrook and one of the best all-around players in the county. Her backcourt mate is also a senior, Eryn Withers, and her 14.2 points per game top the team.

The Blue Devils have a first-round bye, and will face the winner of Friday’s matchup between Southwestern (Baltimore) and Sherwood. Riggs feels that the only way they’ll duplicate their success from seasons past is to get help from ‘‘the supporting cast,” such as forward Wilize Maleambho (6.3 points per game).

‘‘I think no matter who we play, word is out that they’re going to try to stop Eryn and Taryn,” said Riggs Jr. ‘‘I said it three weeks ago, if we can just get 15 points and 20 rebounds from other people. We got that the other night and we beat Blake by 19.”

The Bengals (13-5, 10-4), despite dropping two regular-season games to the Blue Devils, also earned a first-round bye and the fourth seed in the bracket. Prior to their Feb. 9 loss to Springbrook, they had also won five straight.

There is no clear-cut, go-to scorer on Blake, but there are many solid options. Guard Christine Weithman has been a big surprise this year, leading the team in scoring (10.6 ppg) as just a freshman and proving to be the best perimeter shooter on the team.

The Bengals will face either five-seed Woodlawn or No. 12 Perry Hall in the second round Monday.

‘‘I really like this because it’s an opportunity to play teams from other parts of the state, teams we might not know as well, but they don’t know us as well,” said Blake coach Patti Gimore. ‘‘It’s not like when we play Whitman, who we split with, [Viking coach] Pete’s [Kenah] up there yelling what we’re doing as soon as we call it, and vice versa. It’s a different pace.”

To survive the region, both county teams will have to overcome undefeated Dulaney, who went 20-0 and won the Baltimore County championship last week. The Lions are led by 6-foot-2 junior forward Danielle Parker, who put up a staggering 27-point, 15-board effort in that game, and averages just over 17 points and 14 rebounds. The size doesn’t end there, as sophomore forward Emily Gladstone (6-foot) also averaged a double-double for the season.

Second seed Thomas Johnson (16-4) will also be a handful. The Patriots feature an up-and-down, breakneck style, but have size to boot. Their engine is Wake Forest-bound forward Kem Wilson, averaging team-highs in points (12) and rebounds (7.3) on the year.

Sherwood is the other Montgomery county team in the bracket, but unlike Springbrook and Blake, was unable to earn a first-round bye. The Warriors enter the tournament on a down note, winning just one of their last seven game, but will count on their balanced scoring (no scorer in double figures, but led by guard Lakesia Pitts 8.2 points per game) in their playoff opener against Southwestern.

4A North Girls Basketball Playoffs

Contenders: Dulaney (20-0), Springbrook (17-3), Thomas Johnson (16-4)

Darkhorses: Blake (13-5), Patterson (16-11)

Players to watch: Taryn Christian (Springbrook, Sr., 12.8 ppg), Emily Gladstone (Dulaney, Soph., 11.2 ppg), Danielle Luckett (Blake, Jr., 9.7 ppg), Danielle Parker (Dulaney, Jr., 17.0 ppg), Lakesia Pitts (Sherwood, Sr., 8.2 ppg), Molly Wannen (Blake, Sr., 10.2 ppg), Christine Weithman (Blake, Fr., 10.6 ppg), Kem Wilson (Thomas Johnson, Sr., 12.0 ppg), Eryn Withers (Springbrook, Sr., 14.2 ppg)