With the opening tip secured by sophomore Liya Fairfax, the clock started in the women’s varsity basketball team’s final preseason scrimmage against Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School (BCC) on Tuesday, Nov. 25. Behind steady scoring by sophomore Jozi McDuffie and strong defensive pressure, GDS jumped ahead quickly and never looked back, winning three of the four quarters in a confident showing heading into the regular season.
The scrimmage was divided into the standard four eight-minute quarters, and the scoreboard reset after each period. Although the game is not officially counted for either team, GDS won the first quarter 12–6, dropped the second 12–6, and then responded by taking the third 17–12 and the fourth 15–4.
Head coach Pam Stanfield said the team came into the scrimmage with a “focus on controlling what you can control.”
“They did a better job of playing together on offense; the offense flowed a lot better today,” Stanfield said. “It was really good to get this last scrimmage in so we can make adjustments from our previous scrimmage.” The team’s last scrimmage was against Walt Whitman High School on Friday, Nov. 21.
GDS opened the first quarter by attacking the paint and getting to the free-throw line. McDuffie hit four free throws and scored inside to help GDS pull out to a 9–4 lead before sophomore Raech McKnight knocked down a three with just over a minute left in the quarter, extending the lead to eight.
BCC responded in the second quarter by pressuring GDS’ ball handlers and capitalizing on turnovers. McDuffie continued to draw fouls, but GDS struggled to convert possessions into points, scoring only six in the quarter. BCC outscored GDS 12–6, winning the quarter.
The third quarter flipped the momentum. BCC opened with a three, but GDS answered with a series of plays. McDuffie scored twice in a row, and McKnight blocked a shot and later drilled another three. BCC climbed back to lead, 9–7. Fairfax then intercepted a pass, allowing McDuffie to tie the quarter at 9–9, and junior Eden Samuel scored in transition to give GDS the lead. Sophomore Elayna Lewis, Fairfax and McDuffie added free throws and layups to secure a 17–12 win in the third quarter.
The fourth quarter showcased the aggressive press defense Stanfield had hoped to see. Fairfax forced turnovers in the press, Samuel pushed the ball in transition and Lewis scored twice. Fairfax added six more points, and McKnight capped the scrimmage with a late three to close out a dominant 15–4 win in the fourth quarter.
Stanfield said the scrimmage helped clarify what the team can lean on this season. “I found out today that I have multiple guards who can play multiple positions in our press defense, which is awesome,” she said. “The girls love pressing; we want to speed other teams up and get layups.”
Fairfax said the group felt the improvement. “I think we played well,” she said. “This was a better game than last game. We played as a team and it was a good job.”
“The girls played together today,” Stanfield said. “Now we can build on this.”
“We’re looking forward to implementing new offenses and really executing as a team,” Fairfax said.
The women’s varsity basketball team will play in their first game at home on Wednesday, Dec. 3 at 4:15 pm against School Without Walls.
CORRECTION (Nov. 30 at 8:35 p.m.): A previous version of this article incorrectly said the team’s previous scrimmage was against Washington Latin on Thursday, Nov. 20. Additionally, it mistakenly said regular-season games have ten-minute quarters.