It wasn’t the Quakers’ 15-0 ISL record, their perfect mark against local opponents or the lengthy amount of time they have spent atop The Washington Post’s rankings that allowed them to stave off scrappy Bullis (22-7). Playing a national schedule — and taking some losses in the process — readied them for a four-quarter fight and left them unfazed when the volume in Bullis’s gym cranked up.
“Our kids have been in dogfights for the last couple of years. Our seniors have been in scenarios like this, and they played like seniors when it came down to those crucial moments,” Sidwell Coach Tamika Dudley said. “It could’ve went either way, but our kids are used to this stage.”
Sidwell (24-5) was plenty motivated for Sunday’s matchup after last year’s ISL title game result — a stunning loss to Georgetown Visitation that remains the Quakers’ only defeat against a local opponent since March 2020. If notching two wins over the Cubs this season by a combined 59 points wasn’t cathartic enough, Sunday’s chance to add another title to their long list of accomplishments certainly was.
“We wanted a banner. I think everybody just wanted it for the seniors, including myself,” forward Zania Socka-Nguemen said. “We have to act like we’re the underdog. We have to act like we’re hunting, not being hunted.”
But Bullis refused to go away, and it got within a possession in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs’ full-court pressure gave the Quakers fits, especially early, forcing them into a handful of backcourt turnovers. On the offensive end, Bullis was powered by Ivanna Wilson Manyacka, who made six three-pointers and finished with a game-high 22 points.
But the experienced Quakers were ready. Socka-Nguemen and Kendall Dudley, McDonald’s all-Americans who have signed with UCLA, combined for 38 points, and they came up with crucial buckets when the Bulldogs threatened.
“It’s a hot gym, it’s packed, so I think there were nerves for our younger guards,” Kendall Dudley said. “I just relaxed the girls, told them it was a long game, so just breathe and relax. … We knew our run was coming soon.”