BALTIMORE — The Community College of Baltimore County Essex women’s basketball team is putting the finishing touches on another unbelievable season.
The Knights are 28-1 and the No. 2 team in the country in the Division II National Junior College Athletic Association rankings. Earlier this year they achieved No. 1 status for the first time in program history.
This collection of talent is truly special. They average 91.4 points per game while only giving up 53.7.
Their largest margin of victory was a December win by 100 over Beaver County, 127-27. On Wednesday they recorded their second-biggest blowout, a 74-point thrashing, 117-43 over Southern Maryland. They are the Maryland JUCO champs but have bigger plans in mind, like winning the program’s first national championship.
"Not a single day goes by where not a single coach says, 'National championship. National championship. National championship'. So, it’s really big around our circle," said forward Anasia Staton. "We’re really focused on that. That’s the end goal."
"We all just have that hype and we’re No. 1. We want to show ya’ll that we’re No. 1. So, that’s where we get our attitude from, just trying to prove to people who we are," added guard Faith Blackstone.
"A lot of these girls are going Division I after they leave here. But, I don’t think any of them are going to have a shot at a national championship ever again," said head coach Mike Seney. "That part right there is the reason we wake up in the morning. We have a chance to do something that we probably won’t ever have a chance to do ever again, that’s win a national championship."
Staton and Cassandra Hawthorne are the only two players remaining on this year’s team from the squad that last year advanced to the national semifinals and helped establish a new NJCAA record win streak at 53 consecutive games.
The Knights finish up their regular season Friday at Rosemont College. Then it’s the Region 20 quarterfinals at home on Tuesday.
Follow Shawn Stepner on Twitter @StepnerWMAR and Facebook
