“I’m trying to get my kids to understand that we want to play the St. John’s way in every single game,” Scribner said. “Bad shots are bad shots and we’re not even that good of a three-point shooting team. We have to pride ourselves on taking the right approach.”
As they chase a third consecutive Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title, the Cadets have sought to test themselves early this winter. Last week alone, St. John’s (5-1) played IAC contender Bullis and two national powers from New York in Xaverian and Long Island Lutheran. The latter, regarded as the best girls’ team in the country, beat the Cadets, 68-55, but St. John’s scored comfortable wins in the other two contests.
On paper, the biggest change from last season was the graduation of Delaney Thomas, a steady, playmaking presence for the Cadets over an accomplished four-year career. Thomas is now playing at Duke, but this team got plenty of preparation for life without her last winter when her senior season was interrupted by a broken hand in December, forcing a young group to mature quickly. They did so, and by the time Thomas returned in February, the Cadets were more than capable of defending their title.
“Last year forced us to switch roles and we’ve had to do a bit of that this year already,” said senior guard Kyndal Walker, a Maryland signee. “And now we know that any player can go down at any point. So every player has to be ready to perform.”
Tuesday’s night’s visitor, the Crimson Tide, also possesses plenty of championship experience. Dunbar won the past four D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association championships and has been a perennial power atop the district’s public school landscape. Despite their similar track records, the talent gap between the two programs was apparent early in Tuesday’s game as the Cadets built a 20-2 lead during the opening six minutes.
Walker, the center of the St. John’s operation and an All-Met last winter, led the Cadets with 17 points. Senior forward Tatum Greene added 14. The Cadets spread the ball around in the second half, steadily growing their lead. They worked the ball inside, getting easy looks with crisp passing and well-timed cuts. Few three-pointers were attempted.
“Every time somebody walks out of this gym, we want them to leave saying that St. John’s is the real deal,” Walker said. “No matter the game, we want to keep our foot on the gas.”