The Girls Varsity Basketball team won both of their games this week, securing their spot in the playoffs. Both games were against Scholars Academy High School. The girls won their first game with a score of 53-27 and the second game with a score of 55-49.

The game on Monday started off close, with the Hawks leading 10-7. After the second quarter, the girls were able to extend their lead to 6 points, bringing the halftime score to 24-18. Going into the second half, it became apparent that there was no chance for the opposing team, as THHS scored another 14 points and Scholars Academy scored 0. The girls then secured their win by scoring 15 more points in the fourth quarter. 

A trio of juniors scored an impressive 45 out of the 53 total points. Caylin Chan (Classic sports editor) led all scorers with 20 points, while Ioanna Giannopoulou and Audrey Lin (Classic opinion editor) followed with 15 and 10 points respectively.

Senior Julianne Esmenda said, “It’s amazing that we were able to secure our spot into the playoffs for another year. As a senior, it’s definitely a more meaningful experience as it’s our last one, but if we work hard and put our all into…these [upcoming] games, I know we’ll make it far.”

Though the second game against Scholars Academy was less significant to the Girl’s season, it was a good test for the playoffs as Scholars, and their fans, usually bring the heat on their home court in Far Rockaway. With Monday’s victory in mind and the playoffs secured, Ioanna said that the game was fun to play, and the experience offered “healthy competition against a harder team in our league.”

Julianne said “Winning the Scholars game was such a joyful experience. Beating them twice within a week after a few years of this rivalry really seemed to secure our place now that we’ve been able to work with each other more and solidify the team’s bond as well as up our chemistry on court.” 

With these two wins, the girls stand on top of the Queens A1 division with a record of 10-0, with John Adams High School in second place. Scholars Academy High School and Cardozo High School are tied for third.

The girls have upcoming games against Hillcrest (2-7) at home on January 17 and a big matchup against the Spartans of John Adams (8-1) away on January 20.

Photo courtesy of Caylin Chan