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Seneca Valley basketball player Kelsey Wolfe knew she could get past her opponent.

The junior put her head down and dribbled around fellow teammate and best friend Audrey Cunningham for a layup as the two were engaged in a friendly but competitive pre-practice shoot around last week.

"We have some rivalry on the court and we are really competitive," said Cunningham. "We never smile at each other because it's all serious and we both want to win. … I'd say Kelsey wins for the most part, but don't tell her that. Keep a straight face at all times."

Added Wolfe: "She can beat me at shooting. That's the one thing I'll give her. She's got a good shot."

After posting a combined 15-29 record in their first two seasons as varsity starters, the juniors have guided the Screaming Eagles to a 10-2 record and a two-game lead in the Montgomery 3A/2A/1A West Division.

The duo has combined to form one of the highest scoring tandems in Montgomery County. Wolfe, a 2008 All-Gazette second-team selection, has averaged 17 points per game for her varsity career, including a career-high 34 against Northwest on Dec. 9. Cunningham has made over 100 3-pointers and averages 16 points a contest.

"It has been exciting to see them grow together," said Seneca Valley head coach Todd Bumgardner. "They have really led Seneca Valley back to a resurgence of winning. The first two years were hard on them, but they handled it well. They persevered and now they are seeing the fruits of their labor."

Cunningham and Wolfe's efforts have allowed each to set her sights on the 1,000 career point milestone this month. Wolfe currently has 998, and will most likely break the record during the Eagles' next game Friday against Einstein. Cunningham has 966 career points, and hopes to have a banner day against the Titans as well.

"I hope we do [score 1,000 in the same game]," said Wolfe, who hopes to play NCAA Division I basketball. "I might pass Audrey the ball and tell her to shoot every time down the floor if we are crushing them. …

"I really didn't think about scoring 1,000 my freshman year. Then sophomore and junior year I realized, ‘Wow I could actually get 1,000 and that's a cool thing to do.' But I'd rather have the team win a state championship rather than reach 2,000 or 3,000 points."

Wolfe and Cunningham's friendship can be traced to third grade when they met after playing baseball together on a boys team. Their relationship expanded during middle school at Martin Luther King.

They became best friends and played Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball together. They were teammates on the Fairfax Stars until recently, when Cunningham left to join the Metro Stars.

While Cunningham, Wolfe and the rest of the Seneca Valley community are hoping for a state championship this year, the 2009-10 season looks more promising for the Eagles. County power Paint Branch and always solid Bethesda-Chevy Chase move up to 4A, leaving the to-be senior-laden Eagles as the early county favorite in 3A.

"We are setting the foundation for winning this year," said Bumgardner. "We return everybody next year. It's kind of bittersweet knowing the end is coming, but to know we have the rest of this year and next is exciting for us. It's exciting to have Audrey and Kelsey back for one more year and hopefully they can do great things."