Skipjack sophomores finish with 15-1 home mark
WYE MILLS – Home, sweet home.
That's what the Chesapeake College gymnasium has been for the women's basketball team over the last two seasons. The Skipjacks' 74-46 victory over visiting Prince George's Community College seemed the appropriate exclamation point on Chesapeake's 15-1 home record since the start of the 2011-12 campaign.
"When I first took this job, that's what I told my kids, 'We don't lose at home. We protect our house,' " said Chesapeake head coach Damon Nichols. "They've really answered the call at home the last two years with the exception of the Harford loss earlier this season."
Denver Clyde, Rose Smith, and Katara Pressley – the three players on this year's squad who also played on last season's state and region title-winning team – all made their final home starts against the Owls. Sophomore transfers Brittany Taylor and Najah Chambers also started Saturday's contest.
Freshman guard Sydney Small scored a team-high 20 points off the bench to lead the Skipjacks, who used the non-conference victory to finish with a 17-1 regular-season record. Taylor (11 assists) and Clyde (10 rebounds) each scored 13 points while posting double-doubles, and freshman Dejhonae Cannady also scored 13 points.
Chambers just missed double figures with eight points.
The Skipjacks finished the regular season with eight straight wins, their fourth winning streak of at least eight games over the past two seasons. Chesapeake is 45-5 since the start of the 2011-12 campaign.
"I think we've definitely picked it up, especially defensively," said Clyde after the team held an opponent under 50 points for the second consecutive game. "This is when it matters."
Chesapeake is seeded second in this week's state tournament behind tournament host Harford Community College, which handed the Skipjacks their only loss of the regular season. The Skipjacks, who have a first-round bye, open the state tournament Thursday at noon with a quarterfinal match-up against the winner of Tuesday's contest between seventh-seeded Baltimore City Community College and 10th-seeded Prince George's.
If the Skipjacks win their quarterfinal, they will play in Saturday's 11 a.m. semifinal. The finals are slated for noon on Sunday.