Woodland Christian freshman Bailee Broward has 'tenacity on the boards' like an NBA Hall of Famer | Athlete of the Week

Shaun Holkko

February 21

The Woodland Christian High School girls varsity basketball team steamrolled their way to the semifinals of the Division V CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Girls Basketball Playoffs with only 10 players on the roster, including a trio of freshmen starters.

One of those first-year players is power forward Bailee Broward, who has been a major contributor for the Cardinals (25-5, 16-0 Central Valley California League) this season.

"Bailee is a girl that hasn't had a lot of basketball experience outside of playing with the school," coach Shiloh Sorbello said Monday morning. "She is relying a lot on her natural athletic ability and has grown a ton this freshman year in terms of her presence inside and defensive hustle and intensity. She is our best rebounder by far."

Broward's continuous effort rebounding and defensively has earned her comparisons to a Basketball Hall of Famer.

"I didn't realize she was actually going to be as tenacious as she is on defense. She's got the skill set to guard every position because she's not that tall. She's about 5'10, moves really well and just has a knack for getting her hands on the ball," Sorbello explained. "Siena (Sorbello) is our tallest player but Bailee combines hops, anticipation and overall desire for the ball. We call her 'The Worm' like Dennis Rodman and that was a name that her dad gave her. That's what she brings. She's a total glue girl, puts the team first, watching film, she's just all in with basketball and as a coach that's all you can ask."

On Feb. 9, Woodland Christian clinched its first outright CVCL Championship since 2015 with an unbeaten league record. Broward can now call herself a "Champ Champ" after winning a share of the CVCL volleyball title in the fall.

"It's so cool, doing it in volleyball too," Broward said on Feb. 9. "Basketball girls haven't gone undefeated since 2015 so it felt cool to accomplish something that hasn't been done in a long time."

Woodland Christian freshman power forward Bailee Broward scores an and-1 layup during a 47-35 loss against Winters on Dec. 20 at the Jack Hamlin Gym. (Shaun Holkko/Daily Democrat)

Woodland Christian freshman power forward Bailee Broward hoists a midrange jump shot during a 63-23 win against Woodland on Jan. 31 at the Jack Hamlin Gym. (Shaun Holkko/Daily Democrat)

Woodland Christian freshman outside hitter Bailee Broward serves during a 3-0 win against the Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning on Sept. 14 at the Jack Hamlin Gym. (Shaun Holkko/Daily Democrat)

Woodland Christian freshman power forward Bailee Broward prepares to score a layup during a 60-14 victory versus Valley on Nov. 20 at the Jack Hamlin Gym. (Shaun Holkko/Daily Democrat)

Woodland Christian freshman power forward Bailee Broward attempts a 3-pointer during a 67-33 win at Sacramento Waldorf on Jan. 9 in Fair Oaks. (Shaun Holkko/Daily Democrat)

Broward recorded 9 points, 8 rebounds (5 offensive), 5 steals and 2 blocks against Foresthill to clinch the league championship.

"She's got good lift so she gets up. There was a play against Foresthill where there were a couple girls in better position for both teams and Bailee entered the picture from the right side, swooped on the ball and put it back. It was one of those plays where no one on our team could've made that play. I don't know how she even anticipated that as well as she did," Sorbello recalled. "Plays like that really stick out to me as momentum changers. You miss a shot, but all of a sudden Bailee is there getting an easy put back. One of the things she's growing in is her shot. I know she hit a 3 (in the quarterfinals) but she's going to develop into a good shooter too, I'm sure of it."

Broward averages 6.7 points and 9.9 rebounds per game but what impresses her head coach the most is "her commitment to the team."

"She doesn't care about stats other than how they might help her team," Sorbello said. "She loves the idea of getting a double-double, not because she's going for any personal record but because she knows when she's able to score and rebound, it really puts us in a good place. In the playoff game (on Thursday) she played 31 of 32 minutes and led us in minutes. She is someone where if she's not in, no one else can do what she does in terms of her tenacity on the boards."

Sorbello has known the Broward family for decades after attending Davis High School with Bailee's parents, Jake and Jamee.

"She's a great student. She's respectful, well-liked, treats people well and just comes from good stock. I've seen Bailee grow up and it's been a joy to see. I'm thrilled that she is a friend of (my daughter) Siena. She has three younger sisters behind her and they have a great role model in Bailee," Sorbello explained. "I think the next three years, she's going to be a plug-and-play double-double machine. This year, she's getting her feet wet on the offensive end and she's getting close to 10 rebounds a game.

"She's pretty much a lock for a double-double average for the rest of her high school career."

The No. 2 Cardinals lost 70-40 against the defending champions, No. 3 Valley Christian Academy, on Tuesday night at the Jack Hamlin Gym in the semifinals of the D5 CIF SJS Playoffs. Broward tallied 7 points and 18 rebounds (7 offensive) against the Lady Lions.

"Bailee played really well," freshman center Siena Sorbello said postgame. "She pushes through everything because she didn't come out a single time. Even when she's tired, she gives it all she has."

Woodland Christian has qualified for the CIF State Basketball Regional Championships. The brackets will be released on Sunday and the first round begins on Feb. 27 at 7 p.m.

"I think this freshman class will win a section title before they're done," Shiloh proclaimed Tuesday evening. "If it's not next year, it'll be the year or two after. They're only gonna get better. We're going to grow up a little bit and the game is going to slow down."