After an unprecedented trip to the Class A DCSAA championship last season, the girls basketball team marched into the 2024 season ready to build off their momentum and continue the turnaround of the JR girls basketball program. 

Following a disappointing 2022 season that resulted in a 10-13 record and a change in leadership, the JR Lady Tigers went into the 2023 season looking to turn it around. They did exactly that. They posted a 17-7 regular season record and received the four seed in the DCIAA playoffs where they eventually reached the semi-finals. Despite falling to Dunbar 62-46 in the semi-finals, the loss helped fuel their deep DCSAA championship run. “When we lost in the playoffs for the DCIAA finals it definitely helped to build the motivation we needed for the state finals,” senior guard Moxie Coleman-Miller said. After their DCIAA run to the semi-finals, the Tigers received the seven seed in the class A DCSAA tournament. Despite facing the two seed Friendship Tech Prep Academy in the quarterfinals, the Lady Tigers were not phased and cruised to a 64-18 win. While the Tigers ultimately lost to Archbishop Carroll in the championship, the Tigers proved they were back and a force to be reckoned with. 

Heading into this 2024 season, the Tigers looked to build on this momentum. “Last season was great for setting the foundation that our team needed to play well with each other this year,” Coleman-Miller explained. Led by returning seniors and captains Kryslynn Stewart and Gabby Eversley-Holland, the team so far has posted a 15-8 overall record and currently sits in third place in the DCIAA standings with a league record of 11-2. Point guard Stewart has been productive on both sides of the ball and currently leads the team in points and steals per game with 12.2 ppg and 4.6 spg respectively, while center Aminyah Muhammed has averaged 9.0 rebounds per game and has been a guiding force offensively, with a team best 51% field goal percentage. 

Also contributing to the Tiger’s success this season has been a second year for the team to familiarize with each other’s playing styles. “We had a huge group of new people last year, so we spent a lot of time getting to know each other as teammates, but now that we have gotten a better understanding of how to play with each other, we are doing better,” Coleman-Miller said. “We’re a young team where everyone is still developing,” Stewart added.

While the Tigers have had commanding DCIAA wins, including a 58-1 win over Bell and a 68-3 victory over Bard, the team has struggled in out of league matchups. They currently have a 4-5 record against non-DCIAA opponents, including a 60-46 loss to Maret. 

A new feature of the Tigers’ schedule this season was the addition of the Flint Hill Tipoff to kickoff the season and Battle in The Bull Holiday Invitational. The Tigers have lacked the presence of tournaments in their schedule the past few seasons, so were eager to take advantage of the opportunity. Despite a 0-3 record and disappointing performance at the Battle in the Bull Holiday Invitational, the Tigers used the tournament as motivation and a learning experience. “We lost all of our games, but we learned a lot from the experience. We got back to DC and started to work even harder because it was a wake up call to the areas where we were slacking off,” Coleman-Miller said.

The Tigers finished out their regular season with a 43-8 win over HD Woodson and are now looking ahead to both the DCIAA and DCSAA playoffs.The Tigers are confident, but know they still have work to do. “We are continuing to take it one game and one practice at a time. Everyone from the coaching staff to the players knows what the goal is and we are going to continue to play hard and practice even harder to get there,” Stewart said.

While the Tigers are pleased with their growth and how the season has gone so far, they aren’t satisfied yet. “We want this championship ring, and we’re gonna fight like crazy to get it,” Coleman-Miller concluded.