Triad of Woodland High School girls basketball players earn Golden Empire League recognition
While wins may have come few and far between for the Woodland High School girls varsity basketball team during the 2023-24 season, the Wolves' pair of victories came in memorable moments. Woodland (2-20, 1-11 Golden Empire League) won its last game of…
While wins may have come few and far between for the Woodland High School girls varsity basketball team during the 2023-24 season, the Wolves' pair of victories came in memorable moments.
Woodland (2-20, 1-11 Golden Empire League) won its last game of 2023, smashing Yolo County rival Esparto 72-15 on Dec. 19 in the final contest prior to GEL play starting. The Wolves concluded the campaign with their first league victory, defeating Casa Roble 38-34 on Feb. 8.
"The one thing I learned from my girls was that we're in this together and going to grind. 2-20 isn't a very good record to look at but we could've won more games," said first-year coach Michael Barron. "The Woodland Christian game was a wake up call for us. The second game against Pioneer was a step up from the first time we played them so there were flashes of our growth."
Three Woodland guards recently received recognition from the GEL for their respective individual contributions this season. Freshman Lucy Lopez was 1-of-14 All-GEL selections. Junior Madilyn Watkins and sophomore Mayte Leon Perez were 2-of-14 players to receive an honorable mention.
"She came in, took the offense and made it her own. Her ability to work hard, never complain, always competing, it was infectious to some of the younger girls on the team. Even the older girls were like 'Man, this freshman works her butt off!' She is the future of Woodland girls basketball," Barron proclaimed. "She was always competing no matter what the score was and that was the most impressive thing with her. We put Lucy on the best player week in and week out."
Lopez was thrown into the fire and had to step up 10 games into the season, right before league play began. The Wolves first starting point guard, senior Margherita Marzo, was an exchange student from Italy who returned home following the fall semester. Per game, Marzo led the team in points, free throws and field goal percentage.
"In the beginning, Margherita was our floor general. She was what Lucy is becoming. The best on-ball defender who goes after the best player," Barron recalled. "Margherita was a mixture of all three: Maddy, Lucy and Mayte, in one player. As we lost that relentless player, it took our younger girls a while to figure out how they fit in. It took us about two weeks and 5-6 games to start understanding whose role was where.
"Especially after that Pioneer game, the light bulb clicked on for Lucy. Hajab (Shabbir) battled Olivia (Gill) and realized she could do this. They overcame so much adversity and I'm grateful for it. After the Pioneer game when we lost by 70, we showed up at practice the next day, put it behind us and moved forward. If they remember anything from this year, it's that they won their last game."
Watkins and Leon Perez tied for sixth in the GEL with 22 total 3-pointers, joining Pioneer shooting guard Naomi Navarro in a three-way draw. Watkins and Lopez were chosen by the Woodland coaching staff as the team's co-MVPs.
"Maddy and Lucy were pretty much 1A and 1B with the ability to be positive, work hard and compete," Barron said. "No matter what the score was, they never blamed other people, they always pushed people up. To me, that's what teammates are all about. Those two, their ability to have people gravitate to them was incredible. Maddy was always positive. She was relentless on the court where she kept on working and trying. I told her if she had an open look to take it but her unselfishness was awesome. I hope next year that her and Lucy are more selfish so we can compete deeper into league."
Leon Perez was the Wolves sharpshooter who was never hesitant to hoist an attempt from behind the arc.
"If she would've played more league games, she would've been a first team selection. She missed a few games due to family issues and what not," Barron recalled. "Her ability to create her own shot was great. Her and Lucy are really good on-ball defenders. You'll probably see us play a lot of man (defense) next year with Mayte, Lucy and Maddy. Among those three, any of them could've made the first team. Mayte had an ability to score, get into the lane, get bumped and tried to get that and-1. Girls looked for Mayte to shoot. I think her future is really bright."
Senior forwards Joie Perez and Julissa Garcia-Lopez shared the Coaches Award.
"We're going to miss (Perez) next year, she was relentless on the boards. As a senior, when she spoke, people listened. She had that same ability to put tough losses behind her and be positive that we would get one. To me, that was inspirational for the younger kids. She taught them what the new Woodland way will be. We just grind and keep going," Barron explained. "Julissa only missed one game because she was sicker than a dog.
"To me, the Coaches Award is when I can go to those two girls and no matter what, ask them to get me a shot or a board. They're willing to give everything they got to try and get a layup, free throw or make a stop on D. Julissa's defense was really good, she was great in the zone and so was Joie."
Other Class of 2024 graduates include Brooke Russo and Janet Soto. Woodland will remain in the GEL while crosstown rival and back-to-back league champions Pioneer moves to the Monticello Empire League.
"Maybe next year we take that leap where we're getting 5-10 wins. I think it's very possible. I'm putting some tough teams in our schedule," Barron foreshadowed. "I'm excited because next year I'm hoping we pick up where we left off."
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