Ed. — Archived from the Sunday, March 3, print edition.
OCEAN LAKES — The Eastern Regionals held at Ocean Lakes High School this past month put a few of the hoop stars on the radar to follow, including during the march to the state championship game.
I watched the Princess Anne Cavaliers defeat the Deep Creek Hornets, 52-45, in a thriller matchup on Friday, Feb. 23.
The future is now with Princess Anne freshman forward Micah Ojo, Deep Creek sophomore point guard Asia Keels and Kellam’s dynamic duo, the “Spain twins,” point guard Mia and shooting guard Kate.
With these young people, and more in development, the game is in good hands.
Before the game, Princess Anne’s coach, Darnell Dozier, said stopping Keels and playing defense is the key to winning the regional championships.
“We’re a pretty good defensive team,” said Dozier, just before the tipoff. “We always have been. We have to do the best we can. We feel that we’ve got the best defense in the area. Have been for years. We’ll try to play on that as we go.”
Keels is talented and fast, he noted. “We’ve got to try to stop her,” said Dozier, a hall of fame coach who has won over 700 games in a 30-year coaching career. “That’s it.”
“Asia is the most competitive athlete, boy or girl, I’ve seen in my 30 years as a coach and athletic director,” said Benny Polk, Deep Creek’s athletic director, of Keels, who is one of the top 100 guards in the country, according MaxPreps.
Keels hit the game’s first points. Early in the second period, Princess Anne changed its defense from a man-to-man to a zone after lead exchanges trying to take Keels off rhythm.
Princess Anne did not shoot well in the first half. It stayed in the game with its defense and depth. Ojo changed the momentum after an uncontested layup four minutes before the half.
Princess Anne struggled to take the lead until Bahaar Grewal hit the go-ahead three-pointer midway the third quarter. But Ojo ruled the day on offense and defense.
Keep an eye out for these two as their teams advances in the Group 5 VHSL State Basketball Tournament. This past week, Princess Anne hosted Menchville from the Peninsula, earning a win, and Deep Creek faced off against and defeated Norview High School in Norfolk. The winners were scheduled to meet on Friday, March 1, in the playoffs as this edition went to press.
Ojo averages 19 points a game. According to MaxPreps, she’s the 14th ranked forward in the state. And she’s only a ninth grader. She is the kind of player who makes her teammates better. She doesn’t ask for the ball, but will confidently take it after everyone else has touched it at least once. She’s the basketball player who wants the ball when the game is on the line.
As I wrote this, Ojo had double-doubles in nine of the Cavaliers’ games this season. The regionals were no different. She hit 19 points in the regional championship game. When the game was over Ojo was eager to join her teammates to celebrate.
“We have a lot of respect for Deep Creek,” she said. “This was really an exciting experience, really. This bench really played together as a team. Our chemistry is what really won in the end. I’m just so proud of me and my teammates.”
Cheering on the Cavaliers in the stands with their parents and coach were the Spain twins, who almost led Kellam to the regional championship game, giving the Cavaliers “a fit.” Their sportsmanship in supporting the Cavaliers’ achievement was impressive. The twins were asked about cheering on their Beach District opponents.
“We wish we were out there tonight,” Mia Spain said. “We grew up playing with and against a lot of the girls in this game. So, it is fun to see them playing, but not as fun as it would be to be out there.”
“We came up just a little short this year,” Kate Spain said, “but we are really excited for next season to try and make it all the way.”
The author is a writer and documentary filmmaker who grew up in Norfolk and lived in Virginia Beach for much of his life. He ran a production company, worked in college athletics and was curator at an art gallery in Virginia Beach for years.
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