Looking Back: Chaparral at George Washington
The Chaparral Wolverines (11-4, 1-1) faced a tough George Washington Patriots (12-3, 3-0) in a 5A/4A matchup Monday night. George Washington won the game 53-46, but it not without holding off a strong comeback bid by the Wolverines. Here are…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe Chaparral Wolverines (11-4, 1-1) faced a tough George Washington Patriots (12-3, 3-0) in a 5A/4A matchup Monday night. George Washington won the game 53-46, but it not without holding off a strong comeback bid by the Wolverines.
Here are three takeaways from the game.
Jaida Redwine (4) attempts to drive past Riley Smith (11) of Chaparral.George Washington is poised to make a run for the next two years
Freshman guard Jaida Redwine is averaging 17.6 points per game and showing a mature grasp of the game early. Her ability to generate points was on full display Monday night as she finished with a team-high 15 points in the win over Chaparral.
Redwine’s natural ability to score has been a key piece of the success the Patriots have had this year and should continue to have for the next few seasons.
“We have a young team,” Patriots head coach Keithan Lyons said. “They aren’t afraid to play anyone.”
Chaparral’s Bang-Bang Punch
Chaparral’s Avery (21) and Payton (5) Bang share a glance following another basket.Teams aren’t seeing double when they play the Wolverines, Chaparral is anchored by its sophomore forward twins, Avery Bang and Payton Bang. The duo has a natural chemistry and seems to know where the other is on the court. At 6-foot-1, the Bang sisters provide the Wolverines with a formidable presence in the paint.
Head coach Tony Speights said prior to the game, “They have next-level talent. But they are still young and working on development.”
That talent level was on display as the two combined for 32 of the Wolverines’ 46 points Monday. Avery Bang finished the night with 19 points, Payton Bang with thirteen. The pair led the charge for the Wolverines in a comeback bid in the third quarter – even briefly taking the lead following a baseline drive by Avery Bang – scoring 17 of the team’s 19-point quarter.
Fountain of Youth
Monday night’s game was a great example of the shift towards younger teams. As coaches look to build for the future and generate continuity, teams across the metro area are seeing more and more contributions from underclassmen.
The game Monday featured a combined 55% of the rosters as underclassmen, with only two seniors, Jessica Formento of Chaparral and Iyahnni Qualls of George Washington, suiting up. The teams consist of five underclassmen for the Patriots and seven for Chaparral.
In particular, Chaparral and George Washington are built for the next few years, but a look across the entire metro area will show this trend is here to stay.