Rams are trending up

Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2007

Rams are trending up

by Jennifer Beekman | Staff Writer

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Rockville

The Rockville girls basketball team has continually improved its win-loss record each of the last three years. In 2004 they won five games, eight in 2005 and last year’s 11-9 record marked the Rams first winning season in seven years. Though it bid farewell to four-year varsity members, guard tandem Meghan Johnsey and Anna Schmidt, Rockville is in position to continue the upward trend.

With seven seniors, including guards Shaday Doyley (9 points per game) and Raven Gilmer (9 ppg), and forward Mary Gorman (10 ppg), this year, four-year coach Mark Crichton finally has a veteran squad. And his charges are now seasoned basketball players, with a better understanding of the game itself and, having played together for three years, a better understanding of each other’s tendencies.

The Rams have always had the talent. But they tended to falter at the end of close games. Last year they really embraced competitive and pressure moments and, in turn, learned to win. Winning is a lot about attitude and belief in the final minutes and where they once doubted themselves, the Rams became confident. And that’ll be crucial for this year’s success as well.

‘‘I remember when I first started here all these girls were so young and didn’t know much about my system,” Crichton said. ‘‘But they’ve all realized that if you’re in a basketball game, it’s yours to win. We’ve really learned how to finish off games.”

Rockville doesn’t have much height and it won’t overpower its opponents or necessarily outplay them, skill-wise. But the Rams are fiery. They’re tenacious, gritty and quick. They thrive off an up-tempo, motion offense and high-pressure defense to wear down their opponents.

The Rams resurgence has sparked more interest in the girls basketball program. Crichton’s bench is bigger and deeper than ever, with 14 players on his roster.

‘‘The logical progression is to improve on last year’s record,” Crichton said. ‘‘No matter where you start, you always want to improve on the previous year. And that will be very important to us. We return a good core of girls who all have a lot of playing experience. They know what to do and they’re confident. The morale is very high right now.”

Location: Rockville

Nickname: Rams

Head coach: Mark Crichton, 3rd year (24-38 record)

State classification: 2A

Last year’s record: 11-9

Last regional title: 1987 (2nd)

Last state title: 1987 (1st)

Players to watch: G Shaday Doyley, G Raven Gilmer, F Mary Gorman