As the clock flashed double zeros and the buzzer sounded at McDonough Arena, the JR girls’ basketball team stormed the court. After trailing for much of the DCSAA Class A semifinal game, the 2 seeded Tigers, facing the 3 seeded Eastern Ramblers, celebrated as they punched their ticket to the finals.
“The semifinals game was a fight that required something from every person on the team and we were able to win because no one gave up fighting,” senior guard Moxie Coleman-Miller said.
After facing a 12 point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter and clawing their way back to knot the score at 52-52, the Tigers looked for one last defensive stop, as the Ramblers won the rebound on a missed Tiger free throw and looked to be in control of their own destiny with possession and 15 seconds left on the clock. The Tigers dug deep and got that stop though, as the sophomore forward Michaela Jenkins forced a turnover, giving the Tigers the ball on the inbound. With 12 seconds remaining, junior forward Noa Gordon broke free and drained a mid-range jumper to give the Tigers the lead at 54-52. The Tigers couldn’t celebrate quite yet though, as the Ramblers had one final opportunity to hit a game-winning shot of their own. “Once Noa hit the shot we didn’t get the chance to celebrate in that moment. We had to fight to the very last second,” senior guard and captain Kryslynn Stewart said. While Tiger fans held their breath, the defense stood strong and forced a missed shot. The Tigers won the rebound, sealing their fate. As the buzzer sounded, the Tigers rushed the court in a storm of celebration. They were moving on. “The semifinals game was a fight that required something from every person on the team and we were able to win because no one gave up fighting.”
Stewart and Gordon led the team in points with 14, while the sophomore center Aminyah Muhammed added 13 of her own to go along with 11 rebounds.
The Tigers were knocked out of the second round of the DCIAA playoffs by the defending champion Dunbar Crimson Tide last week, but have used that loss as fuel for making a run in states. “While it would’ve been nice to win cities, he opportunity to play in the DCSAA Championship again means that much more to us. We are determined to bring the trophy and banner home,” Stewart added.
The Tigers will face Georgetown Day in the DCSAA Class A championship at 2pm tomorrow at George Washington University. “I know we as a team have everything that we need to win and we just need to keep building on our momentum and make sure that we play for each other,” Coleman-Miller concluded.
