Regina Rogers
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HoopGurlz Publisher
Posted Dec 7, 2006
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Seattle-area superpower Chief Sealth, ranked No. 11 nationally by Full Court Press, fended off a talented challenger with its familiar arsenal, which includes UCLA-bound Regina Rogers.
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STORY & PHOTOS BY GLENN NELSON
SEATTLE, Wash. - Though both reside in the Metro League, the next time Chief Sealth and Seattle Prep could possibly meet is in the Washington State 3A tournament.
Sealth's presence in the tournament virtually is a given. The Seahawks, ranked No. 2 in the HoopGurlz Elite Eleven for the state of Washington and No. 11 nationally by Full
Court Press, has won the tournament two straight times (but has been stripped of both titles) and has three Pac-10 signees on their roster. On Wednesday night, they won their
37th straight game on the basketball court, beating Seattle Prep by a decisive 64-49.
In spite of the flogging, which mainly took place in the second half, Seattle Prep's presence in the March event still appears highly likely. The Panthers, No. 4 in the Elite Eleven,
placed a surprising eighth last year with a young team. And, even though their often-spectacular leader, Jasmine Williams, is a senior, theirs is a junior- and sophomore-laden
squad adding and ironing out many new wrinkles.
Last year, Issaquah posed the toughest challenge for Chief Sealth with a team that pressured the Seahawks all over the court and circumvented their inside strength and size
with a squadron of perimeter bombers. This year, a similar challenge could be posed by Auburn Riverside, which has dropped a classification and is ranked No. 1 in the
HoopGurlz Elite Eleven.
The only team that seems capable of a convention challenge - ie., matching up - may be Prep. In 6-foot-2 Allie Urban, 6-1 Candace Chambers and, even, 5-11 Lindsay
Gummersall, the Panthers have the length to at times bother Sealth's twin, UCLA-bound towers, Christina Nzekwe and Regina Roger. They also have decent overall team speed
and pressure-defense packages. They also have a wildcard, shot-creating element in Williams (game-high 15 points) that Sealth doesn't, at least not to her extent.
What Prep lacks is consistency, particularly in its backcourt and wings, and the overdrive gear that Sealth demonstrated by putting away a close game with a 12-0 blitz at the
end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth. With her future college coach, Bev Smith of Oregon, in the stands, Nia Jackson gutted out a toe injury to lay a spark (once drawing ahhhs and dropped jaws with a killer crossover, then knifing through the Prep interior for a layup after contact). And then Nzekwe and Rogers slapped down any Panther uprising by attacking the underbelly of the Prep defense.
If Seattle Prep tames its wild side, as it appears Sealth has under its new coaching staff, then a rematch, if it happens, could be something to behold.
Chief Sealth (64): Regina Rogers 16, Nia Jackson 12, Christina Nzekwe 12, Shaneya Valdez 9, Charmaine Barlow 7, Kylie Schoenbachler 6, Cassie Fortento 2.
Seattle Prep (49): Jasmine Williams 15, Candace Chambers 10, Chelsay Nill 9, Lindsey Gummersall 6, Brittany Roland 5, Allie Urban 4.
DaVeonna Munson of Prep | 
Christina Nzekwe of Sealth |
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Glenn Nelson is the publisher of HoopGurlz.com and the editor-in-chief of Scout Media (www.Scout.com), an online sports network and magazine-publishing company and subsidiary of Fox Interactive Media. Glenn also founded and coached
the Dragons and Northwest HoopGurlz select girl's basketball teams. He previously was a longtime, national-award-winning basketball columnist and writer for The Seattle
Times. His work also has appeared in several national magazines and books. He is co-author of "Rising Stars: The Ten Best Players in the NBA" (Rosen Publishing, 2002). He
can be reached at hoopgurlz@comcast.net.
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