The Elm Student Newspaper
Player of the Week: Allyson Britton
Katie Bierzonski
Our featured athlete this week is the Co-Captain of the Shorewomen basketball team, junior forward Allyson Britton. Britton is a third year starter at forward who has recently seen time as a three guard due to her outside shooting ability.
Britton brought home an interesting souvenir from the team's trip to the Bahamas in early January. She was presented with a conch shell-adorned trophy when named to the All-Tournament Team at the Goombay Shootout.
The Shorewomen spent 5 days in the Caribbean and gained second place in the tournament with two stellar performances from Britton. She has continued to shine back in the States. She scored 11 points versus Johns Hopkins and then paced Washington with a season-high 25 points in a one point loss to Ursinus. She had 12 points against both Goldey Beacam College and Muhlenburg College. In the team's recent win over Haverford College, Britton led the Shorewomen with 14 points, going six of eight from the field.
Britton has been named to the Centennial Conference Honor Roll twice this season. She is ranked 12th in the conference in scoring, averaging 11.8 points per game, and 15th in rebounding, with 6.3 per game. She recently tied her own school record by rejecting 5 shots in the victory over Haverford College.
Co-Captain Kerry Lomax on Britton: "Ally is one of the most consistent players on our team. She can always be counted on to play tough defense, and offensively, her outside shot and strong post moves make her difficult for any team to defend. Our team looks to Ally for her leadership on and off the court."
Despite some team injuries and setbacks early in the season, the Shorewomen are still looking to reach the goals set early on in the season. "The biggest team goal we would like to accomplish is to make it to the conference playoffs," said Britton. "Personally, my goals are to keep playing hard and encouraging my teammates to do the same."
Britton's team-oriented attitude and desire to win are as much an asset to this team as her outside shooting ability and strength inside. Her focus and hard work on the court are central to both the offensive and defensive end.
Additionally, Britton is very focused on some key victories for this team. "I am looking forward to playing Ursinus and Muhlenberg again because I know that we can beat them the second time around. We lost by one point to Ursinus and that hurt, but it will fire us up for when we play them at home. I hope we can get a lot of fans to come and cheer us on.
Ursinus and Muhlenberg are two of our biggest rivals and we're looking to get revenge."Perhaps the accomplishment Britton takes the most pride in is the way the team has come together this season: "I think the best thing about playing basketball for Washington is that our team is so tight. We know each other really well and we have fun on and off the court together. I also like that my parents and friends are close enough that they can come and support us."
"Ally has been playing very well for us and leads the team in word and action," said Head Coach Laneé Cole-Smith. "She has always been reliable on defense, and now has stepped up her offense averaging 13 points for us over the last five games."
Britton is from Wilmington, Delaware where she graduated from St. Elizabeth High School in 1998.
This week, Washington takes on conference rival Franklin & Marshall.
Washington has only beaten the Diplomats once in their series history, a 55-50 victory in 1998.
Tip-off is at 1 p.m., and the Shoremen follow with their game at 3 p.m.
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