CHS girls basketball bring the jam to Cleveland

RIO RANCHO — The Cleveland High School girls basketball team held a youth camp inside the Cleveland gymnasium June 23-25.

“It’s been amazing teaching them our fundamentals, our basics,” senior Malia Mose said.

It was a packed house, and a bunch of dribbling balls rocked the gymnasium.

“They have a lot of potential, and they are working really hard,” senior Savannah Madueno said.

Among the young campers were several Cleveland basketball stars, including Mose, Madueno, Erin Winters, Karissa Williams, Danae Elzy, Sami Saavedra and Jaslene Big Crow.

“I remember coming here for youth camps, and now I’m playing with these girls. It’s special,” Elzy said.

Campers learned the basics from some of Cleveland’s best, participated in scrimmages, and played fun classic games such as “knockout.”

“I liked playing ‘dribbling knockout,’ and shooting,” said camper Mila Monette, who was there with her sister Eden Monette.

Second-year head coach Stacy Pokorski looks to build off the past season in which the Storm went 13-15. It’ll be a fairly new look squad, too, as the team lost seven seniors to graduation.

“We are working on our chemistry and we’re getting better, on and off the court,” said Winters, who is nicknamed “Little General” for her command on the floor.

However, the team has plenty of experience from their savvy veterans; Mose, Elzy and Madueno have all been playing varsity since their freshman year.

As for the campers in attendance, it’s safe to say that many of them will put on the Cleveland uniform in the near future.

“I really hope that I do, because I just love Cleveland. I love the environment here, and it’s just a really fun place to be,” camper Kinley Ridenour said.