The girls’ varsity basketball team of Paul VI Catholic High School in Fairfax won the Art Turner memorial tournament once again last month. The Lady Panthers have won 12 state championships, three WCAC (Washington Catholic Athletic Conference) titles, and five holiday tournaments.
Their coach, Scott Allen, was named the 2015-16 ALL-USA high school girls’ basketball coach of the year.
“Anytime you win a coaching award it just doesn’t involve one person or just the head coach,” Allen said. “ It’s a culmination of all the coaching staff efforts and incredible players that allow you to have the opportunity to be considered. This is a ‘we’ award, not an individual award,” Allen said.
In their first tournament game Dec. 2, the Lady Panthers beat Millbrook High School of Raleigh, N.C., 77-35. They went on to defeat Centennial High School of Las Vegas 66-59. They ended the tournament Dec. 4 with a win over Roland Park Country School of Baltimore 74-43.
In describing the team’s work ethic, Allen said, “We usually practice five to six days a week for two hours a day. Practices will usually take place when we are not playing games. Our philosophy is that we want to make the practices harder than games and feel practice is such an important aspect of everything we accomplish.”
The Paul VI girls trounced rival Bishop O’Connell High School of Arlington, 76-21 Dec.13, a game in which Honesty Scott-Grayson scored her 1,000th career point. The girls’ JV team defeated O’Connell 50-15.
“Being a part of a team is one of the most special things you can do because it involves a group of people sacrificing their individual talents for the betterment of the team. When a team acts and competes as one, it’s very exciting to watch,” Allen said.
