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If there had been just another minute in last season's state girls' Class 2A state championship game, perhaps the Gwynn Park High School girls' basketball team could be calling themselves defending champions.

Instead, they had to settle for second place after a 58-53 loss to Fallston High.

Gwynn Park is a familiar presence when it comes to the late stages of the girls' high school basketball season. The Yellow Jackets have won six region championships in the last 11 years, and former coach Marvin Vann guided them to three state titles during that span (2002-2004).

After a three-season gap since their last region crown in 2006, the Yellow Jackets were region champs again in 2010 in their second season under coach Mike Strother, who guided Potomac High to state titles in 2004 and 2005.

Riding last season's success, Strother was looking for a few things from his team this summer.

"I'm looking for communication and leadership," Strother said this week as his team competed in the Best of Maryland tournament, a 20-team invitational tournament at Damascus High School. "Now we have six seniors, one of them has to step up and be a leader. Even though a majority of them came off the bench [last year], they have to step it up and I don't want them to think that just because we made it [to the state final] last year, it's going to be easy getting back. It's going to be harder."

Gone from last season is outside shooting specialist Bianca Miller, who was the team's only senior.

Among this year's seniors are Channell Mackey, Khrystun Miller, Jasmine Simms, Rabaka Lee, Bianca Alexander and Siara Jackson. Also returning from last season will be sophomore guard Genesis Lucas and sophomore forward Caira Washington, both of whom provided the Yellow Jackets with scoring punch. Washington averaged 14 points and

12 rebounds a game and was a Gazette-Star All-County First Team selection, while Lucas was on the second team.

Mackey said last season should have come as no surprise.

"I think we just believed in ourselves and the incoming freshmen," Mackey said. "We looked to them to help us, and after they came in and did that, we knew we were going to make it."

While the large returning cast may make Gwynn Park an early favorite to contend for a state title, Strother identified one area to address so that the Yellow Jackets can fully mature as a team.

"I think one of the things we have to do is communicate and not have [communication] be from the coaches all of the time," Strother said. "I think that's the only piece missing. I think if they communicate a lot more, they'll grow a lot faster. We're trying not to over-coach them and to allow them to coach each other and hold each other more accountable for whatever goes wrong. I think it's going to take us some time."

Miller agreed with that assessment.

"I think it's going to take practice, practice, practice and more practice," Miller said. "I think we're more ready to be champions this year, but I still believe we have to practice more and communicate. We have to have the same type of relationship on and off of the court. I feel I have to communicate as a leader. I have to speak up to the freshman and underclassmen and let them know to keep their heads up and that it's going to be OK."

Simms said the process will require the team developing an identity and embracing one another.

"I guess that's what got us to states, a lot of confidence and trust," Simms said. "The bonding issue is just knowing your personnel on the floor. They just want us to communicate off of the court because if we have that, everything clicks just fine. I think by November, we should be good."

E-mail Terron Hampton at thampton@gazette.net.