Ending the 24-25 season with a record of 11-9 and heading to the MIAA State Tournament for the 4th season in a row, the Girls’ Basketball team is going into the new season with an even greater amount of focus and determination. Led by Senior captains Madison Cook, Olivia Rodrigues and Junior captain Manicha Exilhomme, the team went into their first home game against Everett on December 17th with an immense amount of energy.
To prepare for the season, various off-season practices were hosted where the girls could come in,train, and scrimmage against one another. Exilhomme was one of the many girls who participated in off-season practices, noting that she also prepared for the season with “prayer and a couple AAU games in the fall,” illuminating the amount of focus geared towards this season.
Last year, the Girls’ Basketball team was able to make it to the state tournament which was a very memorable moment for Cook. A common goal shared amongst the team is to make it to States once again in hopes of “progress[ing] further,” “win GBL and progress farther,” shared Cook.
The game against Everett was a highly anticipated one. Coach Scott Marino, entering his 10th season coaching the Girls Varsity Basketball team, noted that “playing Everett in Game One was a great test” for the team.
Once the game started, the coaches, players, and crowd could quickly tell that this was going to be intense,- as neither team showed any signs of slowing down. Within the 1st quarter, Malden’s communication was extremely clear as they had the ball for the majority of the quarter and would steal the ball from Everett whenever there was a chance.
Exilhomme quickly demonstrated her skills as she powered through to the hoop multiple times consistently making “and-one’s” as Everett fouled. As Cook and Rodrigues skillfully brought the ball up the court past defenders, senior Jaziarra Antoine was a key player alongside Exilhomme near the court as she drove the ball near the hoop to take shots causing Everett to foul. With Everett’s continuous fouling, Antoine was able to score foul shots which helped Malden keep a far lead, ending the 1st quarter with a 17-9 lead.
During the second quarter the intensity of the game quickly rose as Everett began playing at an even faster rate. Once again Exilhomme forced through a defender, showcasing her power, as she scored another two-points for Malden. Notably, Exilhomme’s power allowed her to get many rebounds. She either tried her best to put the ball back up hoping to gain a foul from a defender, or she passed it out to an open teammate. With Everett’s tight defense, passing was something Malden used to open up gaps, which proved successful as Antoine scored two-points from mid-range due to a distracted defender and Cook who was able to do the same after getting a pass from Antoine.
However, Everett’s tough defense allowed them to steal the ball from Malden multiple times. With steals they quickly wasted no time rushing the ball for a lay up despite Malden trying their best to chase the ball back. With the end of the 2nd quarter, 23-21 in favor of Malden, players from both teams realized just how close this game could be.
Just as the 3rd quarter began Exilhomme scored the first point with a layup, raising excitement in the stands and among the Malden coaches. With countless amounts of “jumpballs” due to the increased intensity, the ball was on both sides of the court evenly, which illuminated just how hard each team was playing. Malden’s defense was clearly visible as they were able to cause hesitancy within their opponents and get rebounds allowing them to advance further. Despite the fierce energy that was laid out on the court, neither team showed any signs of slowing down; yet, Malden continued to stay in a tight 36-31 lead.
The 4th quarter consisted of even more back and forth between the teams as the ball continued to get stolen, either from bad passes or shooting mistakes. At this point the crowd began to feel the intensity as they screamed or stomped their feet as either team was shooting foul shots. Yet, despite the eagerness of Everett, Malden successfully managed to keep their lead throughout the quarter, ending the game 44-39. “We were able to dictate the tempo of the game by neutralizing Everett’s two best players,” mentioned Marino.
Despite the win, the Malden girls acknowledged that they definitely could’ve played better, “but our defense was there,” Cook highlighted. Antoine contributed 12 points and 14 rebounds. She plans to win by a larger amount against Everett next game.
“I feel like this is a great team and I feel like we all have a big part. We’re a very strong team, especially defensively,” Antoine highlighted.
Exilhomme was one of the prime players this game, erupting with a career-high 30 points and 17 rebounds. “The game went well in terms of us winning but there were a lot of mistakes my team and I made that didn’t end up costing us, but could have,” noted Exilhomme.
With this heart stopping season opener, Malden’s determination is not to be doubted. “I feel this season is going to positively progress, we have a lot of potential on the team and so many opportunities to become great,” concluded Exilhomme.
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