MaxPreps Florida Team of the Week: Strawberry Crest girls basketball

The progression is eye-opening. The current team, outstanding. The cause, inspiring.

There's much more to the Strawberry Crest (Dover) girls basketball team than a nifty 24-4 record.

Coached by La'Tosha Lewis, the Chargers were 0-21 in 2009-10, and have steadily improved to 15-12, 11-11 and last year 20-8 before this landmark season and team, which is currently riding a four-game win streak.

Beyond the steady rise and the success on the court, the Chargers are raising awareness off of it.

The team is raising money for domestic violence awareness following the death of an aunt two years ago of the team's top scorer Aliyah Gregory, a University of Central Florida-signee.

Gregory's aunt, Nicole Bush, 35, was a victim of domestic violence.

"She was very important to me," Gregory told Tampa Tribune staff writer Nick Williams. "She helped raise money whenever I needed money for sports equipment. In honor of her, I figured I can help raise money for anybody else dealing with that so they don't have to go through the same thing I went through."

Through the "Assist and Score" program, Gregory and her family accepts pledges through an e-mail account (aliyahgregory.ats@gmail.com). The family sells purple wristbands and the Strawberry Crest team wears purple sneakers and socks. Purple is the official color of domestic violence awareness.

"When (Gregory) brought the idea to me, I was ecstactic," said Lewis. "The whole team rallied around the cause. Giving back to the community and making others aware is an awesome thing because it's not spoken about often. It's a great feeling to partner up with the local news. ... This cause and event has taken our school and basketball program to the next level, recognition-wise. The cause has set us apart from other local high schools because it is a sensitive subject to discuss."

For the team's greater awareness, superb season and steady rise to success, the Chargers are the MaxPreps Florida Team of the Week, presented by the Army National Guard.

"We have basically focused on the fundamentals of basketball," said Lewis. "We condition all season long and stay in the weight room. As a team we sat down and discussed our team and individual goals and what we wanted to accomplish this season. My girls are very dedicated to their school and program.

"They are eager to learn and get better each day. I also have great leadership on this team from my three captains Aliyah, Terra (Brooks) and Maiya (Trigg). They take our young players under their wing and make sure they are getting the job done. They are my other assistant coaches."

Gregory, a 5-foot-11 guard, averaged 21.5 pints, 6.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists last season, earning her college offers from such places as Pittsburgh, James Madison, Georgia Tech and South Alabama.

This season, she's averaging 20.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 6.7 steals per game.

She had 37 points in the team's opener, a 75-49 win over Lakewood, and 33 in a 96-7 win over Spoto. She had three consecutive games of 27 points starting on Jan. 10.

"Aliyah is the heart of our team. She has been a hard worker since before she got on campus," said Lewis. "Her abilities to lead on and off the floor are stellar. Aliyah has opened so many doors for our program and ladies younger than her. She has set many records and accomplished milestones that rarely happen in girls basketball.

"She hit the 2,000-point mark in the regional quarter finals. She is truly a blessed and talented young lady who has helped build this program from the begininning and has led us to our first district championship title. She is a positive role model and possess great characteristics as a person and basketball player. Her passion for the game and her willingnes to win is remarkable. I'm proud to be her coach and have her as a part of the team and will miss her tremendously when she furthers her career at UCF."

Gregory has plenty of scoring help from 5-9 junior guard Maiya Trigg (12.1 ppg), 5-9 sophomore forward Terra Brooks (8.7) and 6-3 junior post Nandi Jorden (8.4).

The team averages 63.7 points per game while allowing just 30.4.

Last year the Chargers lost in the first round of the state 6A playoffs to Sickles 51-49. They figure to make an even stronger state-title push this season.

"I instill in my players to be the best they can be always in everything they do," said Lewis. "I express to them that they have voices as young women and never let anyone take that away from them — to be strong and stand firm for what they believe, have confidence about themselves and always know nothing's too hard with God.

"To stand up for what's right even when others won't — it's ok to stand alone if you are doing the right thing. I instill in them that hard work, tenacity and never settling for mediocrity pays off because sports are a microcosm of society. They will have adversity and hard times, but how you respond to it dictates their success."

MaxPreps editorial assistant Kirstin Beal contributed to this report.

Do you know a team that deserves consideration for Florida Team of the Week? Email us with your nominations at FLteamoftheweek@maxpreps.com.