Creekside High girls chasing basketball title with youth, stingy defense

And Ellis is quick to reinforce the idea of seizing their opportunity — regardless of the roster’s youth — and not fall back on the “we’ll-get-them-next-year” approach.

“We started talking to them from the time they were in middle school and having them understand that if it’s going to happen, it has to be this year,” Ellis said. “You can’t bank on next year or we’ll do better next year. You’ve got to do it now because nothing is promised, and there’s really no excuse. We have a lot more talent than a lot of teams.”

It shows on the scoreboard. The Seminoles are averaging 71.44 points and allowing only 32.6. They have given up 50 points only five times and four times limited opponents to single digits. Their closest call was a 57-52 win over Southbridge (Fla.) outside Miami.

Creekside has beaten Class 6A No. 9 Norcross, traditional 6A power Collins Hill, and Class 3A No. 6 Sandy Creek. Inside the region the Seminoles have two regular-season wins over No. 7 Midtown and No. 10 Maynard Jackson, the two teams that played for the state championship last spring.

The team is anchored by sophomore C’India Dennis, a 5-foot-4 guard who averages 20.1 points — scoring her 1,000th career point in the process — six rebounds, 6.2 assists and 4.2 steals and was named the region’s player of the year. Last year, Dennis averaged 24.5 points, was named the region’s top player and was chosen for the all-state team.

Ellis, who used to teach in the middle school, first saw Dennis as a sixth-grader and knew she had an exceptional talent in the pipeline.

“She is a coach’s dream,” Ellis said. “She’s talented, but she’s so humble. She knows the kind of caliber player she is, and it’s shocking because she’s not even 16.”

Dennis can score from anywhere on the court. She owns a terrific mid-range jumper and 3-point shot and isn’t afraid to drive or play underneath, despite her lack of size. And her court awareness and basketball IQ sets her apart from others.

“I told her once, there are good players and there are great players, and a great player will make everybody else better,” Ellis said. “That’s been her thing … ‘How can I make everybody else better.”

Getting colleges to pay attention has been a problem. Many are afraid to look past the physical facts that she’s only 64 inches tall, although Ellis said, “I think a lot of schools are starting to see that her size is not a problem.”

The lone senior is Skye Cleveland, a 5-11 senior who averages 12.4 points and was voted first-team all-region. The Landmark Christian transfer has the skills of a center, but also is capable of stepping out to shoot the 3-pointer and defend on the perimeter.

The Seminoles had another all-region selection in Jacy Mitchel, a sophomore who averages 9.3 points and is considered the team’s best on-ball defender. Other key players are sophomore Sydnee Hunter, junior Kiana Harvey (a track standout), and freshman Maliha Harris, a 3-point shooting specialist.

Ellis attributes the team’s success to its deep roster. She learned the benefit of deep numbers when her high school team in Miami won a state championship 20 years ago.

“Most teams only have two or three girls — max — if they’re lucky,” she said. “We have a whole 12. So just explaining it to them and how it just makes sense. What we were able to accomplish last year (reaching the second round), imagine what it would look like if we put forth the effort and worked outside of practice and locked in on what our goals are, and just play one game at a time. That’s really the message.”

Credit: Photo courtesy of Creekside High School

Credit: Photo courtesy of Creekside High School