‘It feels like we’re going to make a statement.’ New attitude for Douglass girls.
When your team only won four games last season, three victories in your first five outings of 2021 seems like a pretty good start.
“It just feels like we’re going to go somewhere this year,” said Frederick Douglass freshman Ayanna-Sarai Darrington, who had 13 points and nine rebounds in the Broncos’ 54-39 win over 43nd District rival Henry Clay on Thursday. “It feels like we’re going to make a statement.”
With an improving defense and seven different scorers led by junior guard Allison Wallace’s 24 points, Douglass under new coach DJ Moberly looked impressive as it built a lead that stretched to as many as 17 points in the second half.
“We’re playing together as a team. We’re playing more defense. We’re actually passing the ball around … really we’re just playing team ball,” Wallace said. “That’s the big difference.”
The win marked Douglass’s first over Henry Clay in the program’s four years. The Blue Devils were playing their first game of the season after being stalled by a COVID-19 quarantine.
And there’s still a long way to go as difficult losses to more seasoned teams like Lafayette and Paul Laurence Dunbar have revealed, but Coach Moberly likes what he’s seeing.
“The girls are believing in themselves and coming in every day and putting in the work,” said Moberly, who’s holding his first high school head coaching job after assistant stints at Bryan Station and Tates Creek and four years coaching at Southern Middle School. “It was just a whole team effort tonight.”
Douglass has to deal with Scott County, Henry Clay, Sayre and Bryan Station in the 42nd District with the Cardinals historically being the most formidable foe. Douglass will see how they measure up with Scott County in Georgetown on Jan. 25.
Meanwhile, Moberly has been making adjustments to the girls’ high school game as compared to middle school.
“It’s very fast-paced, but it’s been exciting,” he said. “Hopefully, we can make some noise.”
Henry Clay finally gets going
Whatever the outcome of the game, Henry Clay and Coach Eric Sanford had to be happy just to get under way.
The Blue Devils had a COVID-19 contact confirmation just three days before the season was supposed to start on Jan. 4. That meant a shutdown and a 10-day quarantine. Henry Clay got the go-ahead this week, but had only one practice before Thursday’s game, Sanford said.
“We’re just trying to make do with what we can,” Sanford said, noting that it’s been hard to get into the flow after stopping practice in November, waiting for the KHSAA restart and then having to stop again. “I believe this season is a play every game like it’s your last type of season, because you just don’t know.”
Sanford has a young team with only one senior, but said their expectations never change. The Blue Devils last made a region semifinal in 2019. They last reached the 11th Region finals in 2015.
“It’s just about getting the younger ones caught up to speed,” Sanford said. “This is probably the youngest team I’ve had since taking over the program. We just need to get basketball reps. That’s what it’s going to take. And a lot of patience. …
“We’re going to try to have fun with it and get what we can while we can.”
Highlights
This story was originally published January 14, 2021 at 11:31 PM.
