by Shawn Nowlin
Congratulations are in order for the William Fleming Lady Colonels basketball team. On Feb. 17, the squad won the Blue Ridge District Championship after defeating Northside High by 41 points.
At the start of the season, head coach Richard Wilson told his Lady Colonels if they outworked their opposition and pushed each other to reach their full potential, they could cement themselves as one of the best teams in program history.
Each game this year has been a stepping stone to their ultimate goal: a regional, district and state championship.
Consisting of three seniors, five juniors, two sophomores and one freshman, Fleming has a deep roster with several contributing players. When the Lady Colonels are hitting on all cylinders, they execute their offensive and defensive schemes to near perfection.
When Kory Balkman saw Fleming on opening night, she felt they had the talent to win the whole thing in March.
“Whether it is a district game or a regular season contest, you can tell that these Lady Colonels love playing with each other. They play the game the right way, and it is such a beautiful thing to see. Not every team can handle the pressures of having a target on their back every time they step on the floor,” Balkman said.
To keep the team focused on their ultimate goal, Coach Wilson emphasizes the importance of consistency. Everything that the Lady Colonels do – from film study to getting up extra shots – contributes to a culture of winning.
Through their first 24 games, Fleming has outscored their opponents by more than 500 points, starting with a blowout victory against their crosstown rival Patrick Henry 48-30 on Nov. 30.
Since then, the team has only lost twice: Glass (12/6, 58-42), Albemarle (12/10, 69-20), The Covenant (12/11, 54-34), West Catholic (12/13, 42-17), Bishop O’ Connel (12/14, 47-40), Ramsay (12/18, 61-36), Milton (12/19, 47-41), Grayson (12/20, 62-41), William Byrd (1/9, 79-20), Lord Botetourt (1/14,62-35), Patrick Henry High (1/16, 52-38), Franklin County (1/17,70-13), Staunton River (1/21, 64-33), Henrico (1/25, 60-40), William Byrd (1/28, 76-22), Northside (1/31, 67-29), Abingdon (2/1, 53-46), Lord Botetourt (2/4, 49-30), Franklin County (2/7, 46-22), Northside (2/17, 78-37), Staunton River (2/18, 55-39) and J.R. Tucker (2/24, 58-14).
Up next for the Lady Colonels are the Godwin Eagles from Richmond on Feb. 26.
