Oakcrest Varsity Basketball Team Celebrates Historic Season

After finishing the regular season ranked 7th in the VISAA Division II, the Chargers advanced to the First Round of the Division II Championships. There they defeated Fredericksburg Christian 57-45, making history as the first Oakcrest basketball team to win a game in the state tournament. This was also the third year in a row that Oakcrest has advanced to the State Championships. 

Guard Elisabeth Dunch ‘22 became the first player in Oakcrest history to reach 1,000 career points, and ultimately ended her season with 1,100 points. Elisabeth also holds the highest-scoring single-season record from her sophomore year. Adele White ‘22, who joined the team last year, made her mark in a big way, going from scoring 19 points last season to a spot in the starting line-up and netting 92 points this year. Natalie Major ‘23, who transferred to Oakcrest this year, added her talent to the team, becoming the second-highest scorer behind Elisabeth with 243 points this season. Senior Gabby Byrne also had an exciting season, recovering from a soccer injury to play with the team and finishing her basketball career at Oakcrest with 866 points, the third highest number in Oakcrest history.  

Head Coach Stella Safari-Ray is proud of the girls’ accomplishments and how they have grown as individual athletes and as a team. She names the Chargers’ Senior Night win against Seton as one of her proudest moments as a coach this year. “As the season went on the girls became confident in who they were as players and as a team,” she says. “They played together and they set the tone of the game. They started to trust each other on the court and had great communication, and as a coach that’s the best thing to see!”

Oakcrest School’s athletic program is known throughout the region as one that trains and develops top performing female athletes that play the game with dignity and character.  Many Oakcrest alumnae have gone on to play sports at the collegiate level, from lacrosse at the United States Coast Guard Academy to track and field at the University of Virginia. They compete on a variety of different teams, from Division I to Division III schools.  The school is about to begin construction of a new athletics facility which will include a gym and a strength and conditioning room.