The crowd erupted and Churchill's bench players held each other back as Kaila Wilson nailed two three-pointers as part of a personal 8-0 scoring run.
Seniors Coco Kuchins, Alex Hacopian and Hazra have guided Churchill to a 10-2 start, but contributions from a talented freshman class could make them into a playoff contender. Freshmen Brittini Martin, Katie Stanish and Wilson have emerged as key players in the rotation and combined for 22 points in the win against the Barons.
“To have a little surprise effort from different bench players is a really important thing because it’s something that can get us over the edge over a great team,” Hazra said.
Kuchins leads the team on both ends, averaging 16 points, four assists, five steals and two blocks. The Air Force commit is one of the D.C. area’s top defenders and has increased her scoring efficiency by forcing her way to the foul line, where she averages 8.8 attempts per game. Against Bethesda-Chevy Chase, she scored 21 points and converted 11 of 13 free throws.
Hazra, a 5-foot-10 forward, is averaging 11.5 points and seven rebounds, and Hacopian has been a steady two-way contributor in the backcourt.
The win against Bethesda-Chevy Chase came four days after a 65-42 loss to No. 5 Whitman. Churchill played a competitive first quarter before All-Met Abby Meyers and the Maryland 4A state champion Vikings pulled away.
That made it all the more important to respond with a win against Bethesda-Chevy Chase, which defeated the Bulldogs, 36-33, in the second round of last year’s Maryland 4A state tournament.
“We all had a chip on our shoulder to prove that we were the better team,” Hacopian said.
The Big number: 16
Combined three-pointers for Sherwood junior Davis Long in two games last week. The junior guard connected on 10 three-pointers — as part of a 32-point effort — in a loss to Kennedy on Tuesday, and had 26 points in Friday's 94-39 win against Northwood.
Montgomery County player of the week
The Damascus girls’ basketball defense
The Swarmin' Hornets held Poolesville to 11 first-half points in a 46-32 victory on Tuesday, and cruised to a 71-23 win against Seneca Valley on Friday. Damascus is on an eight-game win streak and is undefeated against Montgomery County competition.
Panthers’ Flowers takes center stage
Potomac School's Devon Flowers is still growing accustomed to life as a starting varsity big man after playing sporadic minutes last season at Gonzaga. It turns out, it's not so easy.
“It gets to your body,” said Flowers, a 6-foot-9 junior. “It’s the aches and pains you have to go through.”
But Flowers has been fighting through the challenges in a big way, averaging a team-high 14 points and giving his new school a presence in the paint. The Panthers (10-5) notched wins over St. Andrew’s on Friday and St. James on Saturday, and have their sights set on a Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference title run after last season’s 12-15 campaign.
“It’s a brand new beginning,” Flowers said. “It was kinda a weird adjustment, but I just had to keep working at it.”
Flowers fouled out against St. James after helping build a lead in the fourth quarter, but his teammates picked up the slack and helped Coach Levi Franklin earn his 400th victory. Zach Harris, a 6-foot-1 senior, battled inside and pulled down seven rebounds. Mike Grimes, a transfer from St. John's, scored a game-high 22 points and sophomore Preston Bacon added 11.
“I feel like right now we’re starting to prove that [we’re a good team],” Harris said. “I’m confident that we’re just gonna keep it going and keep it rolling.”
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