It has been a long journey for both the boys and girls varsity basketball team here at MBHS. Both of their seasons were nothing but difficult and filled with numerous games which consisted of hard fought battles. They have done exceptionally well throughout the course of their season, overcoming obstacles and exceeding the expectations that were against them at the beginning of the season. Both teams were fortunate enough to extend their seasons by making it into the playoffs. Although the boys varsity team wasn’t able to go deep into the playoffs, the girls varsity team did just that. Because of their hard work during the season, they gained the privilege to play in the city championship game, in hope of being possible contenders to play in the state championship game.

The Division B city championship game was held at St Francis College on March 13th. The stands were filled with supporting friends, relatives, and school staff members from MBHS, as well as their opponents known as the East Harlem Pride. As you enter the gym you can feel the intensity in the atmosphere, team supporters were segregated, and both teams came looking to defeat one another.

Based on the faces of the supporters you could say the same about them as well. Throughout the course of the game the score, most of the time, was close, either a point or two in the lead or trailing. Unfortunately, the outcome of the game was nothing less than heartbreaking. The MBHS lady phoenix fell short of achieving what could’ve made history for the Basketball program here at MBHS.

A few days after the city championship game, PSAL had updated its website, finalizing the outcomes of each game that played on Sunday March 13th. According to PSAL, the girl who contributed the most for the East Harlem Pride victory was Daisha Davis, who scored 18 points. Unfortunately, the stats for the Lady Phoenix has not been posted on the website, which is strange.

After speaking with the head coach of the girls basketball team, Brian McCarthy, I was able to gain information prior to the city championship game as well as for the issue about the stats not being posted on PSAL. According to McCarthy, he stated that he was very pleased with the demeanor of the girls throughout the course of the game as well as for how they performed out on the court, giving it their all. He also stated that there was nothing he would’ve changed about how he coached or how the girls played. As for the the PSAL situation, he stated that PSAL kept the stats and the book for the game and didn’t give him a copy.

I was also able to speak with the team captain of the girls basketball team, Nyasia Carroll, about the progress of the team through the course of their season, the experience of playing in a city championship game, and plans that she has for next year. According to Carroll, playing in the city champion game was an experience that she will always remember as well as for her teammates. A lot of emotions were present during the game but she couldn’t show it so all she could’ve done was go out there and leave it all on the court. She also stated that, if given the chance to relive that experience, she would cut down on all the mistakes she made that put the team in difficult situations at times as well as playing harder defense as a team.

They didn’t reach the point they were with ease. Nyasia stated that, “after lots of practice and arguments, we developed a strong bond that allowed our chemistry on and off the court to improve.”

I must say that chemistry is key when you’re talking about a team going deep into the playoffs or achieving goals they have set for themselves and our Lady Phoenix did just that this season. Although the outcome of their season wasn’t how they expected it to be, I believe it’s safe to say that they did extremely well throughout the course of this years season.

This year’s girls varsity basketball team is the first team, between both boys and girls team, to make it to the city championship game. Not only did make it to the city championship game, but they have also been promoted to the A division for next year’s season. If you ask me, that is a huge accomplishment for any team to achieve, especially if your program isn’t well known. This may be the beginning of something big here at MBHS for it’s community and sports organization as a whole. The future’s looking bright, let’s keep on reaching higher heights, Let’s Go Phoenix.