By Lee Davis
After Homewood’s girls basketball team posted a 30-4 record and streaked to the Class 6A girls basketball championship in 2014-15, it might be safe to assume that the only way for it to go is downhill.
Actually, nothing could be further from the truth.
“I’d say it’s clear that our team is more experienced than last year,” Homewood coach JoVanka Ward said. “Their awareness has increased as far as the importance of focusing on what needs to be done for us to get better as a team.”
So far, that attitude has reflected itself on the court. Through the first of February, the Patriots had posted a 21-6 record and already had clinched their area title.
Homewood’s continued success shouldn’t be a surprise. The Patriots returned virtually their entire roster from last season’s team, including 2015 Final Four co-MVPs Ajah Wayne and Hannah Barber. There are no seniors on the squad and only two juniors – forwards Shelby Hardy and Venice Sanders.
The Lady Patriots have spent the entire season ranked at the top of the Class 6A polls, but Ward said that’s not much of a topic of discussion among coaches and players.
“Being ranked at the top is an honor, but we don’t put much emphasis on it,” she said. “The main thing it means at this point is that everyone we play is going to come after us hard.”
Homewood’s record may be even more impressive than it looks. Among its 20 victories is a 65-60 conquest of Class 7A perennial powerhouse Hoover on Dec. 1, and three of the losses came against highly regarded out-of-state rivals.
“We believe in playing a tough schedule,” Ward said. “Our schedule this year is much tougher than the one we played last year. We’ve been humbled in a few of our defeats, but I think that’s important in the process of toughening us up for the post-season.”
The Lady Patriots have dominated their Area Nine opponents by an average score of 67-36 and will host the circuit’s post-season tournament.
The trigger of the Homewood offense may be Barber, a point guard who was named Over the Mountain Player of the Year as a freshman last season. So far in 2015-16, she is averaging 14 points and five assists per contest.
Wayne – also a sophomore – is a stalwart in the Lady Patriots’ inside game, as are Tori Webb and Hardy. Webb is the tallest of the three at 6-1. Wayne and Hardy are 5-10. All are strong rebounders.
Other contributors include sophomores Kalia Cunningham, Kayla Mikula, Sakeria Hollis, Lia Roberson, Alexia Hood and Kassady Crawford, as well as freshmen Maya Maxwell and Makiyah Sills.
As the area tournament draws near, Barber said her team is ready for the challenges of defending a state title. She cited a fourth quarter comeback in a recent win over Ramsay and an impressive showing on the road against area rival John Carroll Catholic as evidence that Homewood is prepared for the rigors ahead.
“Our goal is to peak at the right time,” she said. “Our chemistry is good and all of our players are confident.”
Barber said that Homewood’s lofty status has changed the mindset of many of its opponents.
“No matter who we play, we know that team will give us their best effort because we were champs last year,” she explained. “Nobody will lay down for us. So we can’t take a night off.”
On the other hand, Barber believes that the Lady Patriots’ championship experience from last season will help this year’s edition.
“Once you get a state championship under your belt, it gives you the feeling of exactly where you need to be at a given point in the season,” Barber said. “It’s not a new situation, so it’s easier to know what to expect.”
Barber said she’s worked to improve her leadership skills by reading and studying a series of motivational and self-help books. Her favorite may have been Jon Gordon’s best-seller The Seed.
“Last season we had three seniors, this season we have none,” she said. “So I read a ton of books about ways I can help step up and lead.”
While claiming another blue trophy is clearly the team’s goal, Barber said not winning another championship wouldn’t necessarily deem the season a failure.
“At the end of the day we want to win the title,” she said. “But the most important thing will be whether we did everything we could do to make it possible. If we do all that and still fall short, I think we could live with that.”
Maybe so, but Homewood doesn’t appear to be a team that’s likely to fall anytime soon.
