The leading edge of a Romich dynasty?

Keith Woods says he's pretty lucky.

He treasured his time with all five Twomey brothers in his 12 years as boys' basketball coach at Groton-Dunstable Regional. And now, he's enjoying what promises to be an exciting and successful run by the Romich clan.

Two families passionate about the game of basketball. One small-town program.

"During the Twomey era, we went" 84-10, said Woods, noting his team's record during the four-year run of the most prominent member of the Twomeys, star forward Greg, who graduated in 2004 with 1,700-plus points and two trips to the state final. He's wrapping up a stellar career at Assumption this season with a post-grad year.

And now, another family, the Romichs, are making their mark in the program, namely Ryan, a 6-foot-6-inch junior forward, and Kyle, a freshman point guard on the varsity. Down the road, two more brothers, Corey and Zachary, are possible additions, though Zach's ETA is likely 2021.

"The Romich family moved to town two years ago, and again, the program changed," said Woods. "Ryan showed up as a freshman and we thought he was OK. He went on to be one of the best players in Central Mass. I've been very fortunate. There aren't many coaches that can say they've had six 1,000-point scorers and almost won 200 games in the time I've been here."

As a sophomore, Ryan Romich powered the Crusaders to a 15-win season. This year, G-D started 5-0.

"I really am from a basketball family," said Romich. "I have memories of playing when I was very young. I grew up in Maryland, then Colorado, and was always playing with kids older than me. I was always tall for my age, so it was a natural fit to play."

Both of his parents, Sally, a 5-10 forward, and Patrick, a 6-4 shooting guard, played at Division 3 Wilkes University in Pennsylvania.

And their offspring have not dropped the ball.

In addition to Ryan and Kyle, Rebecca, an eighth-grader, plays for the middle school team. Corey, a fifth-grader, is averaging a team-leading 30 points per game in his youth league. And there's 8-year-old Rachel and 2-year-old Zachary.

The player Woods is most looking forward to coaching?

"Their fifth-grade brother is supposed to be the best of all them," said Woods. "He's averaging 30 points a game, just lighting up the league. I mean, Ryan is an amazing player, and Kyle has the tools to be just as good, but I want to get this young kid on my team."

A three-year varsity starter, Ryan is averaging 17 points per game; in the fall, he quarterbacked the Crusaders to a 9-2 season, and a Central Massachusetts playoff berth, in their first year as a varsity program.

On the court, younger brother Kyle started three straight games at the point while regular starting point guard Derek McCaffrey was visiting Division 1 colleges as a soccer recruit.

Combine the Romich brothers' talent with McCaffrey's experience and Woods is confident his club has a real chance at the state title.

"Who better to learn from than Derek?" said Woods. "He is a great player - he's going to be a D-1 soccer player - and there's no one better that Kyle can back up and learn from over the next two years. Ryan is a refined player, Kyle is very raw, but he has two solid players to work with in Derek and his brother."

Both the Westford Academy boys' and girls' programs were off to unbeaten starts at midweek. Despite having their first four games postponed due to bad weather, the Grey Ghost ladies opened the season 3-0, beating Londonderry, N.H, Arlington Catholic, and Arlington.

This week, they face their biggest tests against Dual County League powerhouses Acton-Boxborough (3-1), on Tuesday, and Newton South (4-0) on Friday. First-year head coach Russell Coward said the two matchups come at the right time.

"We have a lot of depth, which is coming in handy right now while everyone is healthy," said Coward. "This will be a good challenge early on. Physically, we're very good, but mentally, we still struggle. We have to learn not to go 100-miles-a-minute and think about executing our game plan. Teams like A-B, Newton [South], that's what they do best."

Senior captain, Melissa Stanvick, a 5-10 forward, is the defensive anchor. Junior forward Asia Ewing is in her third season as a varsity starter and is coming off a superb sophomore year in which she was voted a DCL all-star. Senior captains and guards Kiera Ross and Jen Normandie set the offensive pace.

"We have 13 girls and all of them have some varsity experience," said Coward. "So I'm very lucky to inherit this team. I've also coached most of these girls on the JV team, so there's a familiarity there."

Sapna Pathak can be reached at sportsgalsp@gmail.com.