The crowd erupts in cheers as sophomore Yarden Wilkenfeld makes a three-point shot with just four seconds left on the clock in the game against the Sandy Spring Friends School Wildebeests. However, despite the momentary victory for the girls varsity basketball team, they fell short, losing 64-59.
According to Head Coach Becky Silberman, going into the game, the Lions’ primary goals were to reduce turnovers and better communicate with one another. With these objectives in mind, CESJDS fought to keep their PVAC first place ranking against Sandy Spring, who was ranked fourth.
“I think we just need to play the best we can and not worry about making mistakes,” Wilkenfeld said before the game.
Starting the first quarter off strong, Wilkenfeld scored a three-point shot followed by a layup by sophomore Jordana Dauber. However, the team’s struggle with defense and ball handling led them to end the quarter down 17-14.
In the second quarter, JDS picked up momentum. With three minutes left, junior Maiya Blumenthal scored a three-point shot, closing the gap between the Lions and Sandy Spring. Throughout the rest of the quarter, JDS continued to improve on their offensive and defensive skills, ending the first half of the game with a close lead of 30-29.
Especially when in the lead, senior captain Josie Silverberg always makes sure to help bring team spirit on the bench. Silverberg thinks it’s important to have good energy on the sidelines because it helps the players on the court stay focused and feel dominant.
“Whenever I’m on the bench, I kind of find it my responsibility to always be loud, always make sure my eyes, my attention [and] my energy is on the court,” Silverberg said.
Early in the third quarter Sandy Spring built a small lead, but the Lions’ offense responded strongly allowing them to regain the lead. Ultimately, they ended the third quarter up 44-40.
The fourth quarter started off with JDS improving on defense, but struggling to score. However, with 38 seconds left on the clock, Wilkenfeld scored a layup, momentarily tying the game. Ultimately though, through a series of foul shots and layups, the Lions fell to the Wildebeests.
While Wilkenfeld led the way with a personal record of 20 points, her other teammates also helped play a role on the offensive side. The other top scorers included Dauber, who scored 17 points and junior Gila Safra, who scored nine points. Despite their contributions, it was Wilkenfeld who faced a crucial moment in the final stretch of the game.
“When I had to shoot the free throw, I was like ‘oh my God,’ this is all on my shoulders, and that was kind of tough,” Wilkenfeld said.
Silberman believes that the key takeaway from the game is the importance of consistency. According to Silberman, while JDS started out strong, they struggled to regain their focus after Sandy Springs started building momentum.
“I think the biggest thing that kind of got in our heads is they were bigger than us,” Silberman said. “And, once you get into foul trouble, or they score on you once or we miss a shot, we kind of hang our heads instead of moving on to the next play. So we didn’t do the best job of being resilient.”
JDS currently has a 1-1 record in the Potomac Valley Athletics Conference (PVAC) and 2-2 record overall. The Lions are looking forward to the upcoming Berman game on Dec. 10 and will focus on staying calm and having patience while playing.
“There’s always a little bit of nerves [going into the Berman game], but I feel confident in my team and myself,” Silverberg said.
