As of February 2nd, the girls basketball team is 15-5, but the team is not letting their winning record distract them from keeping their eye on the prize as they inch towards their goal of States. 

This year, Head Coach Stephon Seraile stresses the importance of defense in the Tigers’ game. “Taking pride in defending has been our calling card this year and when we’ve won we’ve done a great job of defending,” Seraile said. He points to a recent game in a Philadelphia tournament against the Imhotep Charter Panthers as an example. Seraile explained, “We started off great, was up 20, and as a good team does, Imhotep came back.” After one of their best players fouled out, the team didn’t blink. A player that had not played all game came in off the bench and hit a big shot to help win.” Seraile pointed to this as an example of his “we before me” mindset. The Tigers eventually won that game, 73-71, in a hard- fought victory with contributions from everyone on the team. 

However, Seraile said he doesn’t “equate a good season to wins and losses,” and instead, “it’s equated to how the girls develop from the beginning of the season to the end of the season and how we bond together as a team.” 

Senior Jordyn McClusky, said the team is working amazingly well together on the court. McClusky and Seraile both highlighted the importance of not having an ego on the court. As McClusky put it, “we work well when we work together.” Junior Lanaia Martin echoed this, saying, “I think energy and staying together works the best for the team.” The team’s strategy relies on every single player bringing their best and recognizing the best in others. Seraile said the thing he is the proudest of is that the girls are, “playing together as a team.”

Coach Steph also wants every player to get “1% better every practice.” He said he came into the season wanting each player to improve, and focus on whatever they need to work on, whether it be  their shooting, ball handling, or court awareness. McClusky said that she has developed a lot, and “this year  learned what it means to have a role and how to play your role to the best of your ability.”Martin says she has been stepping up and that her “leadership from the beginning of the season has changed.” Freshman Vivian Lapointe, she has been working on “getting to know everyone and getting better at playing together every game.”

Although Seraile emphasized the value in going game by game and getting one percent better every practice (which he referred to as “championship behavior”) he is not afraid to talk about goals and expectations. He expects the team, which is currently ranked fourth in DCSAA, to have a good run in the playoffs and have their games reflect what they have been working on all season. “We hope to go into states with a good seed, but the only way to do that is if we take care now,” Seraile said. So for now, the Tigers are taking it game by game, not giving up, and practicing championship behavior. •