By Amanda Scurlock for The LA Sentinel
Originally published Oct. 28, 2026
Washington Prep senior Carmah Dortch played basketball for the first time last season.
“My sister wanted me to play,” Dortch said. “So, I just started playing.”
She helped the Generals girls’ basketball team win the Division III City Section championship. Washington Prep finished the season with a 14-3 overall record and a 10-2 Coliseum League record.
Girls’ basketball Head Coach Orlandes Lee made working on the team fun. Dortch also enjoyed spending time with her teammates.
“Coach O (Lee) made it fun and I liked that about it and made me want to keep playing.” Dortch said. “My favorite part is being with my team, I like the team a lot.”
Last season, Dortch noticed that she improved her ability to use her left hand more. A proud moment for Dortch came when the Generals defeated the Fremont Pathfinders 79-7 in late January. She scored 23 points in the matchup.
“It makes me feel like I’ve been getting better,” Dortch said.
Dortch said the team has good communication; their skills were tested when the Generals were behind during a game.
“A challenging moment was, I can’t remember the game we played but we got a little frustrated when we were down,” Dortch said. “But then we made a comeback.”
Other than basketball, Dortch is on the flag football team. Being on the team taught her passing skills. Basketball also helped improve her throwing skills. The team selected Dortch to be the quarterback because of her arm strength.
For Dortch, being a student athlete is part of her family legacy.
“It means a lot because a lot of people in my family were student athletes, so I just want to keep it going,” Dortch said. “They were pushing me to play.”
Dortch enjoys playing flag football and basketball. Dortch also loves studying graphic design and animation. A favorite assignment for Dortch is creating a Black History Month poster on Canva.
“It was cool because I though I wasn’t going to do it because it was a lot,” Dortch said. “But then I just finished it and I was like it turned out very good.”
In the future, Dortch wants to play college basketball.