Delmarva Christian Royals believe in one another
In case you didn’t know, Delmarva Christian has established a higher standard when it comes to its girls’ basketball teams.
Last year, the Royals won 18 games and advanced to the second round of the DIAA tournament. Ainsley Bell was the lone senior on that team. Hoping to make up for her hefty loss of production are seniors Lily Hutt, Ryley McCluskey, Mia Elliott, Journey Handy and Josephina Peranteau.
“We need to play together and understand there’s not one person that can do it by themselves,” McCluskey said.
Coach Frank Roach said he believes they can work together to fill new roles and maintain the program’s tradition of winning.
“Continual team belief is big,” he said. “The mental part of the game is the most important aspect of continued success. As new players are put into different positions, they must believe they are there for a reason. As confidence grows, the team chemistry grows.”
Roach said the last few years have been valuable to the current team's makeup.
“Our strength this year is the camaraderie amongst the girls,” he said. “A lot of them were here last year, and they worked well together, they pass the ball really well and they are growing into their roles.”
One of the things Roach emphasizes is to not dwell on mistakes and maintain a next-play mentality.
“It is a long game with many possessions, we just need to get better each and every possession,” he said.
The seniors will play important roles on the team. Their coach has instilled in them a strong belief in defense, and the girls are confident their success on defense will translate to a productive offense.
Handy was described as an all-around player comfortable at the rim grabbing boards or on the perimeter firing up treys. Roach said her IQ and experience result in her gashing defenses in spots they believe are covered.
Elliott is a tenacious defender who, Roach said, hangs her hat on defense but loves to get out in transition, and she is improving her outside shooting.
McCluskey is similar to Handy in her efforts on offense and defense. She is the emotional leader of the team and uses her IQ to get to the stripe on offense and disrupt passing lanes on defense.
Hutt enjoys mixing it up down low and has a good feel for the drives of McCluskey and Handy, seeming to know which side of the basket they need her on to get a shot or pass off.
Peranteau will join the team shortly and is sorely missed by her fellow seniors.
The Royals tip off their season at 4:30 p.m., Friday, Dec. 1, in the first game of a girls-boys doubleheader at Delmar.
