BY TRISTAN PANDAY
The experienced girls’ basketball team battled through a stacked Red Division to earn a 16-10 record and home game in the State Tournament.
The team returned most key players from the team that finished 13-9 the previous season. “I knew this was going to be a good season for us because of the talent, mindset, and experience of our team,” explained junior Abigial Jazmin.
The team featured four seniors, Zainab Soomro, Malvina Sullivan, Leena Tran, and Gabrielle Walker, in key roles. “The girls and I have played together even before middle school, especially the seniors we go back to elementary school,” said Walker, who accumulated 728 points in her four years running the point for the team.
All five starters scored over 100 points this season. “We had such good chemistry and trust built that we play excellent team basketball, it was never a one man show like some teams are,” added Walker, who led the team with 55 steals.
The seniors played a key role during the season as they set examples for their younger teammates. “We had a very special group of seniors this season,” explained junior standout Abigail Jazmin. “We all wanted to make sure that their last season was memorable and that they left a lasting legacy in this program.”
They cemented their legacy by doing something no team in the program had done in a long time. “To be able to host a Home State Playoff Game for the first time in 2 decades was definitely a core memory of mine, especially seeing all the hard work our team performed this season,” said Tran, who led the team with 303 points this season and totaled 816 over her four-year varsity career.
The team took advantage of home court advantage in the game and defeated Marlboros 62-54 behind an outstanding 22-point performance by Walker and 16 points from Tran in their final game in familiar gymnasium.
The seniors also took care of business on January 17 by defeating Monroe for the first time in their careers. “We’ve always struggled against them since they are a good team, but we played our hearts out and got the win against our rivals,” said Walker. An outstanding exhibition of team-defense and 16 points from Jazmin helped them earn the 55-39 win over talented opposition.
The girls played in the stacked Red Division which featured a line-up where all but one team had a winning record the previous season. St. Thomas Aquinas, especially, posed a threat to the girls. “They were the number one seed, and they won the GMCs for the past 4 years,” said Tran. “Our first game we did really well against them but, again, they’re a really good team and they’re probably our toughest opponent.”
“We played really well overall this season. We had our ups and downs, of course, but we always came together and figured out what we had to do to be successful,” said Jazmin, who had a breakout game against St. Thomas Aquinas with 24 points. “No matter what the statistics say, this was a historic season for us, and I am so proud of the hard work we put in!”
The four seniors and the underclassmen the led should all be proud of everything they accomplished this season and their athletic careers so far.
Posted on 3/24/23
Photos by Gaby Malanga
Knight Life 