Though Prince William County’s newest program is just three years old, an emphasis on versatility in development has fostered a gifted roster for Nemerow to tinker with. In the offseason, post players improved their outside shots. McKenzie and fellow guard Delaney Gilliam worked on their play in the post. Now, aided by pace, energy and three players averaging at least 10 points per game — McKenzie, sophomore Peyton White and freshman Grace Ellingson — they’re as consistent as any team around.

“I can go with five guards on the floor at the same time or I can go with a lineup that’s bigger than my sister’s lineup when she was the head coach at Longwood,” Nemerow said. “And I don’t think we have a drop-off in talent either way.”

Still, with Cedar Run District foe Osbourn Park thriving again, there’s little tolerance for plateauing. Though Gainesville lost just five games last year, four of those came against the Yellow Jackets. Last year, McKenzie said, the Cardinals beat themselves. This year, with six seniors, they hope the mental edge is on their side. Both teams enter Friday’s matchup in The Post’s Top 20.

“We’ve been pushing each other because we know how great we can be,” White said. “They’re a great team, they’ve got a great coach … but we’re going to try and get them this season.”

Rock Creek Christian stays busy

The Rock Creek Christian Eagles have played a lot of basketball. In November and December, the Prince George’s private school has played as many games as many public programs do in an entire season: On Saturday afternoon, the Eagles lost by four to nationally ranked Compass Prep (Ariz.) in their 20th game of the year.

This is the White team, one of two varsity programs representing Rock Creek. The group is coached by Lafayette Dublin, now in his second coaching stint at the school. Rock Creek has often had two teams in the past, but last year the White team did not exist. When Dublin came back, he brought a whole new roster with him.

Despite the loss to Compass, it has been a successful start to the year for the Eagles (16-4). They spent last weekend at the Governor’s Challenge, a massive tournament held every year in Salisbury. They won their bracket, topping Fairfax Christian, 72-69, in double overtime to do so.

“We got off to a slow start the first time we played them, waited too long to start playing hard,” Dublin said. “The difference this weekend was we competed from the beginning of the game. We matched their level of intensity and stayed with it.”

That Fairfax Christian team was undefeated, and had taken down the Eagles in early December. But, with so many new players, Dublin has seen the Eagles grow stronger the more time they spend together. And their relentless, travel-heavy schedule means they get a lot of down time as a group.

“Often times you see the kids break into cliques, but this group has a great chemistry,” Dublin said. “We’ve spent a lot of time together. Ate together. Danced together. Traveled together. They’ve learned to trust each other. And that translates to the court.”

On the court, they prioritize defense above all else. Junior forward Kam Wylie led the team with 25 points in the win over Fairfax, but it was a few key stops in overtime that Dublin credits for the win.

“We spent the first two months of practice doing mostly defense,” Dublin said. “We pride ourselves on that. If you don’t get stops, you don’t play. We don’t want to constantly trade baskets.”

Jayden Johnson, Tuscarora: The senior guard was named MVP of the M.L. Carr Invitational in North Carolina, scoring 26, 28 and a school record 40 points as the Huskies went 3-0 in the tournament.

Qandace Samuels, Bishop McNamara: The dynamic freshman, following in her sister Qadence’s footsteps, led the Mustangs with 19 points as they beat Carroll, 63-39 to win their bracket at the Boo Williams Holiday Classic.

Cam Ward, Largo: The junior poured in 25 points and 12 rebounds in the Lions’ 68-41 win over Constitution (Pa.) in the Governor’s Challenge in Salisbury.

Nia Green, Hammond: The senior wing had 30 points, five rebounds and four steals in the Golden Bears’ two-point win Friday over North Point. In Hammond’s next game, a win over Oxon Hill to clinch the All About the Girls Holiday Hoops Garon Everett Division title, Green scored nine points and added seven assists, six blocks and six rebounds.

Jackson-Reed boys vs. Bullis (at St. John’s), Wednesday, 6:15 p.m.

Sidwell Friends girls at Bullis, Thursday, 5:45

Alexandria City boys at West Potomac, Thursday, 7:30 p.m.

Sherwood boys at Blake, Friday, 5:30 p.m.

Martina Casamajo didn’t have a massive language barrier to vault over when she moved to Maryland from Spain, the product of learning English in school.

But as she found out in one of her first practices with Bethesda-Chevy Chase (7-1), basketball’s vernacular greatly varies.

The Barons were practicing a 3-2 zone, a defense Casamajo knew as “Diaman” (Diamond). The dialect mix-up took a few minutes to sort through and was one of the adjustments Casamajo made while playing a familiar sport in a foreign land.

Casamajo grew up in Badalona, a city near Barcelona that has taken to basketball in large part because of its local team, Club Joventut Badalona — or as Casamajo and others call it, La Penya (The Club).

The community’s basketball fever saturated through the senior forward. Casamajos loves Ricky Rubio — who started his professional career with La Penya — and former Real Madrid star Luka Dončić.

“While he was there, that was the only time that I’ve liked Madrid,” she said.

Casamajo has played basketball for nearly a decade and knew she wanted to continue doing so after moving to Maryland.

She arrived mere days before the school year began and had to spend her first few months catching up on college applications, keeping her out of the Barons’ offseason activities. But she made sure to come to tryouts.

“I just wanted to play with my high school team in the United States and I thought that was a very cool experience,” she said.

Her background provides a different viewpoint on high school basketball.

She was surprised by the Barons’ practices, tailored to upcoming opponents rather than having a more general focus like in Spain. She enjoyed the sense of community within the team, evident in pasta dinners the night before games, locker room traditions and more. She has been inspired by her teammates’ dedication to the sport and to each other.

“We have practices six times a week and all of them show up and they do their best,” she said. “ … When you see someone feel so passionate about a sport that you also love, it just makes you want to do better and put effort into it and just go to every practice and play like it’s the last practice.”

Anacostia is balanced, dangerous

Some nights, it’s senior guard Shayonna Nave carrying the offensive load for the Anacostia girls. Other nights, Nayjah Duvall or Ta’shaun Robinson take the lead as the team’s primary scorer. Coach Reginald Walker’s team has a number of players capable of making opposing defenses pay as it has emerged as a D.C. public school contender early this season.

“No one team can focus on any one player,” Walker said. “If you take away this [player], this one is going to hurt you.”

Anacostia’s depth is a positive sign as the team inches closer toward the postseason. But in Walker’s eyes, his team’s offensive parity has drawbacks.

“At some point someone’s going to have to stick out and become that real leader,” he said. “Somebody to step out there and say ‘Hey, c’mon, we got this, just ride with me.’ … That’s what we’re looking for right now.”

The Indians are 8-4, with wins over Theodore Roosevelt and Banneker, pushing the young group to the top of the D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association standings through the first month. Anacostia beat the Roosevelt, 52-27, on Friday before falling to Friendship Collegiate by six points Saturday.

As Walker waits for a consistent scoring leader to emerge, he knows there’s plenty of room for improvement for a team he said had “the most potential we’ve ever had” over his 11 years as coach. That potential will be put to the test against upstart Eastern and defending city champion Dunbar in early January.