The Boys Varsity Basketball team ended their undefeated record this week after a tough loss against Maspeth High School. Both teams came into the game undefeated and were competing for first place in their division, and ultimately, Maspeth proved victorious with a final score 42-31. 

Starting point guard junior Andrew Chen called it a “tough game,” and noted that a key starter had been sick, which hurt the team’s chances for winning. Nevertheless, the boys were able to maintain a tie in the first quarter, and outscored Maspeth in the third quarter. The second and fourth quarters allowed Maspeth to build their lead, with the Hawks scoring only one point in the second quarter. According to fans and teammates, a stunning slam dunk from Maspeth altered the whole trajectory of the game, and lowered the morale of the Hawks. 

Results improved later in the week when THHS faced East West School of International Studies and won with a final score of 87-29. The top scorers in the game were sophomore Andrew Leonard with 14 points, senior Steven Yee with 13 points, and senior Matthew Cantor with 12 points. 

The boys will face the now first place Maspeth team for a second time on February 3. Andrew Chen thinks that with their full starting lineup on the court, the Hawks can win. “At full strength, we have a good chance,” he said.

As for the Girls’ Varsity Basketball team, they took a break from PSAL competitions this week to participate in a non-PSAL tournament in Florida.

Last Sunday, the team traveled to Orlando to participate in the KSA (Kaylee Scholastic Association) Tournament. The Hawks last played in this tournament in 2019, before the Pandemic. The Girls this time around had high hopes, coming off a non-league win against HS for Construction and an undefeated 6-0 record in league play.

Nevertheless, the Girls went 0-3 in losses to Ossining HS from upstate New York, Alcoa HS from Tennessee, and Holy Trinity HS from Florida. Playing teams outside of NYC opened the girls up to how tough the competition is in other areas of the country. While the girls were unable to secure a  win, getting exposure to this level of competition will be of use when they return to league play against John Bowne on January 3. 

According to the KSA website, the tournament the girls participated had “teams coming from across all 50 states [to provide] a true national competition format.”

Sophomore Andrew Leonard wrote the section on the Girls team; as he’s a player on the boys team, his writing partner reported on and wrote that section.

Photo Courtesy of the Boys’ and Girls’ Varsity Basketball Teams