
The last time St. John’s and McNamara’s girls’ teams met up, it was for the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) championship in late February 2024. Thus, their matchup on Jan. 10 was a highly awaited meeting of two top programs. Though the St. John’s Cadets proved victorious last year, when McNamara was without one of their former star players Maddie McDaniel (now part of the nationally ranked South Carolina team), things were different in their recent meeting on the court. The Mustangs defeated the Cadets 64-43 in a key early-season girls’ basketball game at St. John’s Gymnasium in upper Northwest D.C.McNamara (9-1), number one in the area and fourth in the country, flexed their talents early on as they jumped to a 15-9 first-quarter lead and extended it to 28-15 at the half.
The Mustangs, with scoring from 10 different players, used their liberal substitution system to thoroughly frustrate the young St. John’s squad, which has only one senior on the roster. St. John’s team is very different from last year’s meeting when head coach Jonathan Scribner noted: “This is a seasoned, veteran group who have been through the wars of high school basketball.”
While McNamara, on the other hand, starts four seniors, who are all Division I prospects, St. John’s (13-1) came into the game ranked fourth locally in the area, had a 27-game win streak dating back to last year and boasts junior guard Morgan Stewart, who played a key role in the success of their season.McNamara knew that and made sure that Stewart would not be a defeating factor. “We knew coming in that she is a really good player, so it was important that we make sure that she did not have one of those types of games,” said McNamara head coach Ron James, who is in his second season at the helm. “To win at this level, you have to have depth at the guard position and we have that.” In the close game, Stewart led all scorers with 19 points.
A Method to Mustang Madness Using its talented bench, McNamara made life hard for the young Cadets, double-teaming Stewart and harassing the players into turnovers that resulted in easy baskets in their vaunted transition game.James has created the perfect storm with a blend of seniors and some of the best underclassmen in the area. Seniors Princess-Alexandria Moody, a 5-7 guard, and 6-2 forward Zhen Craft bring the experience of having been through the wars of the WCAC. But the group of underclassmen ensures the future of the program. Qandace Samuels is a 6-1 sophomore who led the team’s balanced attack with a team-high 17 points in the win over the Cadets. Then there is the Roberson sister combination of sophomore forward Neveah and junior guard Cai, who are potential Division I prospects. But the McNamara talent does not stop there, as sophomore guard Nyair McCoy is the ultimate floor general. A first-team all-conference selection last year as a freshman at Archbishop Carroll, McCoy recorded eight assists in the St. John’s game.
“We know that this is one of the most talented teams we have had here at McNamara,” noted James. “As skilled as they are offensively, we hang our hats on defense. They know that if they play defense, they are going to get playing time.”The Mustangs employ a full-court press that creates a frenzy for the opponents.“We tell the players if they want minutes on the floor, they have to play defense,” James said. “We’re in the gaps. We’re everywhere. We want the other team to feel like we have 15 players on the floor at one time.”Against the Cadets, the Mustangs got 24 of their points off miscues. Offensively, McNamara puts a lot of pressure on opponents with their transition game. And when they are forced to execute halfcourt offense, they have the size and talent to execute and present matchup problems for the defense.
McNamara will be looking to win the WCAC title in late February, but it will be a gauntlet as they have games versus Bishop Ireton (Jan. 29), Paul VI (Feb. 11), and a return matchup against St. John’s before the tournament.The Cadets, who have won three straight titles, will continue to improve and get better as they also face Paul VI (Feb. 3) Bishop Ireton (Feb. 5) before a rematch with the Mustangs.
Source: Washington Informer