The girls varsity basketball team traveled to William C. Bryant High School to take on the Lady Owls and put its 47-game winning streak on the line. There, for the first time since February 2, 2011, the Hawks lost in the regular season. Bryant was the last team they lost to before the streak began.

The Hawks came into the game without their seven seniors, three of whom are starters, because they were on the senior trip. Coach Lauren Caiaccia recognized that the team chemistry was altered and said, “There was a sense that we were not a complete team, but the girls did the best they could and embraced the challenge.”

Despite the altered team chemistry, the Hawks established an early 12-4 lead after the first quarter. The eight-point lead was more than the Hawks could ask for, since the team had to adjust to playing without their seven seniors. The Hawks kept battling strong in the second quarter as they were only outscored by one point, 8-7.

Going into the second half, the Hawks were leading 19-12, but the momentum the Hawks had gained in the first quarter began to change. By the fourth quarter, this once close game completely shifted into the Lady Owls’ favor, as they finished the game on a 23 to 11 run, leading them to a 47-34 win.

Coach Caiaccia said she never really paid attention to the streak, and looked at the positive side of the loss: “Experiencing the loss exposed us to some things we need to get better at.”

Junior guard Meraldina Ziljkic said, “Offensively, we did not take enough shots, which lessened our chances of getting points on the board, and we were a bit winded from the first half, which gave the other team the advantage to chip away at our lead from the first half.”

She added, “It was tough being without the seniors; missing seven people from the team did not give us the opportunity to substitute players as much as we would do in a regular game, so we got tired.”

Senior forward Sierra Berkel, who missed the game while on the senior trip, said, “Honestly, the team did not even realize the magnitude of this winning streak. It’s not something we really focused on, and it won’t be as we continue. Right now, we are getting ready for the post-season, and hope to advance during the playoffs, knowing that we can’t take any game for granted.”

Coach Caiaccia was adamant that the team “will rebound fine.”

The Hawks have two games left in the regular season and are the Queens A West division champion for the third straight season.

During The Streak

• The girls varsity basketball team’s 47-game regular season winning streak* began with a 46-38 win against Flushing H.S. on 2/9/2011. The last loss before the streak came against William C. Bryant H.S. on 2/2/2011 in a 62-47 game. The streak included two undefeated seasons. Before the loss, this was the longest active streak among all PSAL girls varsity basketball teams. The streak came to an end on 1/24/2014 against William C. Bryant in a 47-34 loss.
• They outscored their opponents 2435 to 1262, a staggering 1173-point differential. That was a point differential of 25 points per game.
• They scored 60 or more points ten times.
• They yielded only 40 or more points during seven games and fifty or more points only once.
• Thirteen members of the current team had not suffered a loss at the varsity level.
• Only three girls had been on the team for the entire duration of the streak.