Lady Phoenix Rally Late but Come Up Short In Loss to Bard

Brandon Abrenica, Staff Reporter

On a snowy Thursday afternoon, the Millennium Lady Phoenix squared off against the BHSEC (Bard) Lady Raptors. The second floor gym was filled with fans desperate for a win.

The Lady Phoenix were not playing their best, missing open layups and went cold from three, going 0 for 5 on three point attempts in the first half. They were down by as many 12 halfway through the second quarter. However, Lady Phoenix showed life by narrowing the deficit to six, having a halftime score of 12-18.

Shooting Guard Alyssa Montes came out of halftime with more confidence, hitting two big 3’s that jump started an 8-0 run for the Lady Phoenix. The gym was ecstatic, sensing a Phoenix win.

The game was coming down to the wire. In the final two minutes, both teams were on fire. With 15 seconds left in the game, senior Jasmaine Brathwaite corralled a rebound off a missed free throw, passed the ball up ahead to Nyasia. As she passed half court, Coach McCarthy and Coach Stephan were screaming and signaling for a time out. However, due to the loudness of the gym, the referees were not able to give the team the timeout.

The BHSEC girls threw up an air-ball and the possession was given to the Lady Raptors. With 2.5 seconds left in the game, BHSEC was at the free throw line. They missed the free throw and Lady Phoenix were able to secure a rebound and call timeout. With 1.5 seconds left, they ran an in-bounds play. The in-bounder threw the ball out of bounds. The Lady Phoenix playoff run was over. As the buzzer sounded, the final score was 39-37 in favor of the BHSEC Lady Raptors.

Coach McCarthy, when asked about his team, commented, “this has been one of the greatest seasons at Millennium. I have never been more proud to coach a team like this. Man, they played their hearts out. I wish it hadn’t ended [with a loss], but I could have never been more proud.”