Senior captain Victoria Gammon puts up a tough fade away jump shot. AUNDREA CIFUENTES
Malden High’s girls’ varsity basketball team lost 39-36 to Revere on January 25th in a nail-biter. Unfortunately, though the score was close, this game would have determined their place for the GBL title.
In the first quarter, the Tornados started aggressive and played as a team not only in their actions, but also mentally. There were some shots blocked by Revere, but Malden quickly recovered and got some baskets in. Though there were some turnovers, the players did not give up and continued to hit the opportunities they could find.
Junior Ina Tolete hit a three-pointer that put the first point on the scoreboard for Malden and throughout the first quarter, the team communicated well resulting in Malden keeping good defense and ending the quarter up 6-4.
The team entered the second quarter with a two-point lead. However, towards the end, they lost their streak after Revere’s comeback. Despite this, the Tornados kept a good defense throughout. Junior Amanda Lily Ebenezer caught multiple offensive rebounds, allowing her to score layups for her team. The girls were able to maintain good defense throughout this quarter, allowing them to finish with a score of 13-13.
During halftime, Head Coach Scott Marino gave the team a good pep talk to motivate the players. “I felt really under pressure during the talk, but it also motivated me to keep on going because one of my dreams for our team is to win the GBL title,” spoke team captain Angelina Colon.
During the third quarter, the team struggled as it became a battle for the lead against Revere now that the score was neck and neck, with both teams constantly dropping down and then climbing back up.
The third quarter held many highlight-worthy moments including when junior Kimberly Tropnas drove the ball coast-to-coast and drew a foul. Senior captain Victoria Gammon would keep this energy up as she would burn her defenders on the way to the basket and capitalize on fast break opportunities.
Heading into the fourth quarter, Malden still held their own against the Patriots. Tropnas enforced aggressive defense that kept the gap between them and Revere close.
The five starters: Gammon, Lily Ebenezer, Tolete, Colon, and Tropnas, used their 2-3 zone defense to the best of their ability, forcing Revere to only get inside shots. Malden still led up to this point, but Revere came back in the end, concluding a game that went down to the wire.
Although Malden went out with a loss during the game that qualified their GBL standings, their defense showcased their dedication and skills as a team which has since propelled them to an appearance in the State tournament, marking the third year in a row that they’ve qualified for the postseason.
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