Woodson Ladies Make it Four and 58!!!

Ron Bailey, Publisher

Unprecedented dominance exhibited by the Lady Warriors of HD Woodson (DC)

March 1, 2009 – When you look at this article's title, the unknowing may assume HD Woodson's Lady Warriors had equaled reached a low point, scraping the bottom of DCIAA history in terms of wins and losses. Actually, the exact opposite has occurred, as the team, coached by Frank Oliver, Jr., not only won 58 straight league games, but earned four consecutive championships as well. They are at the top of the food chain in terms of inner high girls basketball programs. Now and previously.

Number four and 58 came in overwhelming fashion, via Woodson's 82-21 championship game victory over Dunbar (DC) last night. Held at Coolidge High School's cavernous facility, the Lady Warriors were unstoppable from the beginning, including racing to a 41-11 advantage at intermission.

The HD Woodson Lady Warriors with hardware!

You might think Oliver et al would have relaxed at this point, pulled back the hounds so to speak. Again, that thinking would be wrong, as before the third quarter started Oliver shared his challenge until the game ended was to "Keep the intensity up". His ladies' listened, holding Dunbar to three third stanza points.

Senior Carleita Green, the game's MVP finished with 18 points, while junior Rameka Ransford dropped 23. Fourth year student athletes Bernicia Pinkett and Janice 'J.J.' Johnson, the remaining members of Woodson's Four Horsewoman, poured in 17 and 11 respectively.

Dunbar was paced by Jania Reid's nine points, while Tomika Brown scored eight.

Pinkett, who like Ransford, Johnson and Green is highly recruited, enjoyed the win with teammates and family afterward. Did she anticipate such incredible success four years ago?

"I knew it was going to be a good team" she confided, "but I didn't think I was going to get a championship all four years".

Anticipated or not, the squad did four consecutive titles, a fact Oliver ascribed to "A lot of hard work and commitment".

DCIAA Athletic Director Troy Mathieu sees only positives in their domination. "I don't think you get into a practice where a team tries not to improve" he said, refusing to side with those who posit such unbalance may retard the development of lesser programs. "They are all building up their programs (to compete)".

"They are right up there in terms of sustained excellence" amongst inner high sports noted Mathieu of what Woodson has accomplished.

Next up is the City Championship next Monday, which will pit the Lady Warriors against the WCAC's champion.

Stay tuned, more history could be made.

Notes: As mentioned, Woodson is chock full of Division I talent. To prove the point, the University of Kentucky had three staff members on tap, while coaches from Louisville and other schools indicated they would attend.

Oliver shared the three seniors, Pinkett, Greene and Johnson could, if they decided to, attend the same school.

A sample of their options follows:

Pinkett - BC, Louisville, Kentucky, South Florida

Green - Louisville, South Florida

Johnson - Louisville, Marshall, Kentucky, South Florida

Ransford, the junior, is being recruited by schools nationwide.