On Friday night, the girls’ and boys’ basketball teams had very special senior nights in which they defeated the Woodside Wildcats in back-to-back games, the girls winning 55-28 and the boys 76-50. The night was jam-packed with action and festivities as M-A honored seniors from both the girls’ and boys’ basketball teams, the cheer team, and the dance team. Both teams will be heading into CCS playoffs after going undefeated in league play.
Display honoring the seniors on the girls’ team
The girls’ game started off on a positive note when senior Lauren Van Stralen hit a three-pointer from the corner within the first minute. However, due to strong defensive efforts on both sides, neither team was able to sustain momentum. The quarter ended with a score of 12-8, with M-A leading by only four points.
This changed rapidly in the second quarter when M-A’s defense stepped up and prevented Woodside from scoring any points for over seven minutes. Van Stralen said, “I think our full-court man-to-man press work went very well. We created a lot of turnovers that went into fast break opportunities.” The half ended with M-A up 26-12.
By the second half, the Bears were energized and took full control over the game. They forced turnover after turnover, resulting in numerous layups and three-pointers. Senior Jamie Adams said, “I think the team had pretty good ball movement and definitely improved on our turnovers.” The Bears’ ferocious defense coupled with many offensive breakaways allowed them to increase their lead even more. The game ended with a score of 55-28.
The boys brought the same intensity on offense to their game. In just the first quarter, seniors Ben Eisner and Johno Price made five three-pointers, in addition to a dunk by senior Mecca Okereke. This gave the Bears an early lead of 27-13 by the end of the first quarter. Okereke said, “The highlight of the game was definitely my dunk and securing the win.”
Similar to the girls’ game, the Bears’ defense turned up the heat in the second quarter. Senior Allen Chang got a number of rebounds, allowing the Bears to put up even more points than before. Most of the action stayed on M-A’s side of the court. They ended the half 46-20.
Display honoring the seniors on the boys’ team
Woodside was able to gain some momentum at the beginning of the second half and scored a couple deep three-pointers within the first couple minutes. However, M-A held onto their lead throughout the second half and continued to rack up more points. The final score was 76-50.
Price said, “It felt really good to have a huge win before playoffs, and it made it even better to win on senior night.” Adams said, “A highlight for me was walking through the balloon arc with my family while my friends and teammates were cheering.”
Looking to the future, both teams will play in the CCS playoffs. Eisner said, “I’m excited to finally play some teams that will test us because I know this team can play through adversity.”
