Basketball teams compete for championships

Boys Basketball Wins WIAA Back to Back Championships

On Wednesday, March 1st, the Boys Varsity Basketball team played the first round of the league tournament against the New York School of the Deaf with an impressive win of 68-38 led by Junior star Marcelo Guth’s 29 points and numerous rebounds from Mattis Neumann and Jose De Mello.  With this impressive win the boys advanced to the finals of the league championship.

The League championship, played at EF Academy on Friday March 3rd, was against Stamford Academy, our toughest competition all year, and ranked 2nd in the league.  Again, Junior Marcel Guth led the way with 42 points and 10 steals to capture the game and the league championship with a score of 74-61.  Impressive play and strong will by Mattis Neumann, Jose De Mello, Denis Mamaqi, Larry Huang, and Jakkob Kessler gave the team the strength it needed to capture the title once again making EF Academy back-to-back champions 2 years in a row.

Girls Basketball Competes in WIAA Championship Game

After advancing past their league rivals, Stamford Academy, on Tuesday, the Lady Storm took on Montfort Academy in the WIAA League Championship game on Thursday at home.  Both teams were nervous and excited in the moments leading up to the game. Once the game started the intensity came out. The Lady Storm started the game off with stellar defense. EF held Montfort Academy scoreless in the first 6 minutes and 30 seconds of the game, which was exactly what the game plan was. However, on the other side of the court the Lady Storm’s offense could not get started, as they too could not get a shot to fall. Their ball movement and shot selection were fantastic, but the ball just did not want to go in the hoop.  Montfort Academy was able to convert the first basket, and take a 2-0 lead – a lead they would never relinquish.  The Lady Storm worked very hard, and seniors Jaa Charoenboriboon and Debanhi Jimenez both shined in their last game in a storm jersey.  Despite having their best all-around game all year – the girls fell short of their goal and were defeated by Montfort Academy.

Overall this season was a huge success.  The girls really came together and formed a true basketball team.  They were aware of each other’s individual strengths and weaknesses and were able to use teamwork to prevail in a large majority of their games.  Their progress throughout the season was remarkable and every person on the team improved drastically.  So, despite losing in the final score – they were true winners at the end of the day. Congratulations ladies. We are all very proud of you.