When Justin Leith took over as the Bullis athletic director and girls basketball coach four years ago, he had one main goal: Build one of the toughest schedules in the country to attract the best talent to his program.

During his first year, he told his players they might not have a winning season. But they did, going 19-10 with Riley Nelson, now at Duke, leading the way.

That year set the standard. Since then, as Bullis has added more top competitors and showcases to its schedule, the caliber of players who want to attend the school has only increased.

Now one of the best teams in the country, Bullis is preparing for a challenging early-season test Saturday. Bullis, No. 12 in ESPN’s preseason ranking, will face IMG, the elite Florida academy, at 12:20 p.m. at the She’s Got Game showcase at the St. James in Virginia.

“We’ve gotten some really talented players, including the best player in the country right now, potentially, regardless of class,” Leith said. “If we are going to have these top kids and top players, we want to make sure we’re putting them to the test.”

This year’s team is led by Ivanna Wilson Manyacka, a junior who was the Gatorade Maryland Girls Basketball Player of the Year last season. She averaged 18.5 points and 11.2 rebounds, and she also plays on the U.S. U16 National Team, for which she is a finalist for USA Basketball 5-on-5 Female Athlete of the Year.

“She’s the best player in the country regardless of class. Every college in the country will tell you that,” Leith said.

Bullis is also led by seniors Adora Nwude, who has signed to play at Fordham University, and Sophia Brooks, who has signed to Lafayette College. Sophomore Taylor-Anne Williams, who already has offers from South Carolina and Michigan, among others, is expected to be a top contributor again, and another sophomore, Dahlia Debourou, has grown into a starting role.

After facing IMG, Bullis will head to Arizona to play in the Tournament of Champions and then to North Carolina for the John Wall Holiday Invitational at the end of the month.

College football: Army vs. Navy

The 126th edition of the Army-Navy game Saturday will feature two local connections: Navy’s Irabonoise Oniha, a junior cornerback, and Chreign LaFond, a senior defensive end, both from Silver Spring.

Oniha attended Paint Branch and has played in all but one of Navy’s games this season. He has 24 total tackles.

LaFond, the brother of track and field Olympian Thea LaFond, attended Archbishop Carroll in Washington. He’s played in every game this season.

Swimming: Katie Ledecky Invitational

The queen of distance swimming is returning to her roots this weekend. Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky, who grew up in Bethesda on the Nation’s Capital Swim Club, will race at the meet that now bears her name: the Katie Ledecky Invitational. The meet, previously known as the NCAP Invitational, is a midseason championship event.

It will be held at the University of Maryland through Sunday.

High school boys basketball: Blake vs. Blair

It’s an early-season rivalry game. Blake will host Blair at 7:15 p.m. Friday.

Blake, led by Maryland commit Baba Oladotun, made a statement in its season opener by beating Einstein 101-27 (yes, that score is right). It followed with a 73-32 win over Laurel on Tuesday.

Blair dropped its first game to Whitman but won its second game 57-55 over Poolesville. Junior Joel Turkson had 20 points and 13 rebounds in the win.

NFL: Trevon Diggs nears a return

Gaithersburg native Trevon Diggs is nearing a return on Sunday when Dallas faces Minnesota at 8:20 p.m. Diggs returned to practice on Nov. 30 but was not activated for last weekend’s game against Detroit.

Diggs has been out since October with a concussion and a lingering knee injury. The Cowboys (6-6-1) are in the hunt for a playoff spot. Diggs, a key part of their secondary, should only help that battle — the Cowboys rank last in the league in passing yards allowed per game.