The boys and girls varsity basketball teams celebrated their senior nights on January 24 with convincing wins over the Cardozo Clerks, winning 67-43 and 70-2 respectively. Senior Night celebrates the senior class members of each team in a ceremonial format that took place between both varsity games. 

Despite a roster without any seniors, the girls basketball team still participated in the Senior Night festivities as they took on Cardozo, who came into Friday’s game with a 1-10 record and were out of playoff contention. The Tigers came out strong, putting up over 50 points within the first half, with many of those points coming from stellar work in the paint by junior Courtney White. 

The boys team is also young, including just two seniors, but still participated in the traditional Senior Night ceremony before taking the court. Both the girls and boys teams formed two separate lines creating a walkway for senior basketball players, cheerleaders and managers  to be escorted by their family members and friends onto the court. 

The boys team celebrated seniors Phil Carter and Jay Young Jr., Carter playing in his first varsity season as a Tiger. The two combined for 27 points as Carter scored nine alongside two steals, and Young put up 16 points after a dream start to the game in which Young made almost every three-point shot he attempted. Sophomore Darren Buchanan Jr.’s presence on the court also contributed to the Tiger’s amazing ball movement, proving to be too much for Cardozo’s defense to handle. Buchanan scored 16 points and had 16 rebounds. The team now has a 20-3 record and is ranked third in the DCSAA ‘AA’ rankings. 

The teams came off Wednesday night DCIAA games against the Dunbar Crimson Tide, in which the boys won 72-55, highlighted by a 23 point game by junior Miasaiah Brown, and the girls team were defeated by the reigning DCIAA champions 48-10.

Both teams clinched a DCIAA playoff berth before their Wednesday games against Coolidge High School. The girls team sits in fifth place and cannot be passed, while the boys will finish in second or third.