The Weaver girls basketball team has three key seniors, all captains. The Beavers also have two star freshmen.
The two groups have meshed well together. The seniors are leaders and have integrated the freshmen into the team, coach Levar Mitchell said, and the freshmen have hit the ground running – “All gas, no brakes.”
And Weaver is 5-0, on top of the Division IV standings, with non-conference wins over such teams as East Hampton, East Windsor and Wethersfield. The seniors are guards Rianna Torres and Tiahanna Boland and forward Kylee Muse. The freshmen are Taeleyona Ramey, who is averaging 21 points per game along with six rebounds, two assists and four steals and Jaida Gonzelez (11 ppg, seven rebounds, four steals, two assists, one block).
“(The seniors) have shown tremendous leadership with our two dominant freshmen,” Mitchell said. “Sometimes it’s hard to take a back seat when you got talent that comes in and understands, ‘We may have to take on a different role,’ but those three seniors understood that.”
Mitchell said Weaver is off to its best start since 2014, when the team went to the Class L championship but lost to Capital Prep at Mohegan Sun.
“It’s a new era, it’s a new standard, I tell them, ‘We stay humble and hungry,’” Mitchell said. “With those two freshmen, the three seniors and we had a sophomore transfer come in from Capital Prep named Kamiyah Dukes, the sky’s the limit for the future of Weaver.”
Top performances from last week
Abigail Casper, Northwest Catholic: Casper led the Lions in scoring with 14 points in a 45-27 victory over Mercy Monday.
Katie Harding, Rocky Hill: Harding scored her 1,000th point in a 62-56 win over Coventry, last year’s Class S champion on Monday, the same night her teammate Kelsey LaMay scored her 1,000th point. Harding had 21 points in a 75-36 win over Plainville Friday.
Kelsey LaMay, Rocky Hill: LaMay scored her 1,000th career point and had 26 points for the Terriers, who defeated Coventry Monday. LaMay also had 20 points, hitting 9 of 10 free throws, in the win over Plainville.
Sophia Kolesnick, Old Saybrook: Kolesnick had 21 points, including four 3-pointers, in a 50-42 win over Griswold Saturday.
Layla Ljubuncic, Lewis Mills: Ljubuncic put up 31 points in a 72-36 win over Maloney Monday.
Teagan Purcell, South Windsor: Purcell had 19 points in South Windsor’s 46-43 win over Windsor Saturday.
Emma Teuner, Morgan: Teuner had a double-double (16 rebounds, 14 points) in a 49-28 victory over Cromwell Tuesday.
Ruby Theberge, Canton: Theberge scored 23 of Canton’s 43 points in the Warriors’ victory over Thomaston Tuesday.
Games to watch
New Britain (4-0) at Bristol Central (5-1), Wednesday, 6:45 p.m.: Bristol Central has won five straight after an opening loss to Lewis Mills. New Britain has wins over Middletown, Simsbury and Hamden, the 2024 Class LL champion.
Northwest Catholic (5-0) at Windsor (3-1), Friday, 6 p.m.: Windsor will look to rebound from Saturday’s loss to South Windsor but that might be a tough task against three-time state champion Northwest Catholic.
Sheehan (5-0) at Sacred Heart (6-1), Friday, 7 p.m.: Last year’s Class MM champion goes up against last year’s Class LL champion.