The nation’s top-ranked girls basketball team, Sidwell Friends School, defeated Stone Ridge of Bethesda 73-32 Tuesday to keep its unbeaten streak intact with a 13-0 record.
The win follows after the Quakers’ won the Girls Basketball Invitational Championship in Minnesota over the weekend, bringing cheer to the private Northwest D.C. school.
While it is best known for providing education to the children of presidents, including the daughters of former President Barack Obama, Sidwell Friends has been the talk of the high school basketball world.
“A lot of teachers and the entire Sidwell community has gotten aboard with this group of girls, our team, and it’s been great,” said Sidwell Friends girls basketball coach Tamika Dudley.
Dudley is in her third year coaching the Quakers after eight successful seasons at her alma mater Woodbridge High School in Virginia. While she expected it to be a rebuilding process into making Sidwell Friends into a contender, Dudley calls the immediate success “definitely special.”
When asked about what helps her players perform, Dudley said she believes their game is lifted by the academic rigors of the school along with the scarifies they have given to the program to have success.
“Having to deal with a lot of adversity in the classroom and having to stay really focused and get things done, I think that helps them on the court,” said Dudley.
Despite their successful run this season, the Quakers are not done. They still have a chance at winning the school’s first-ever Independent School League championship at the end of the season. Currently, Sidwell Friends are 5-0 in league play.
However, Dudley said her focus remains on her players enjoying the experience of it all.
“That’s my focus; I want it to be competitive … but more importantly, I want them to enjoy it and to enjoy each other while they have this time and kind of cherish the moment because you don’t get these days back,” said Dudley.
