In their second game of the season, the JV girls basketball team fell to the Georgetown Visitation Cubs on Tuesday, Dec. 2. The Lions struggled on both sides of the court, offense and defense. They had difficulty putting the ball up in scoring opportunities, and their defense allowed many easy baskets for the Cubs, which led to the final score of 41-4.
The first half began with frequent turnovers as the ball went out of bounds on nearly every pass from both teams due to bad passes, making it difficult for the Lions to find open shots.
Towards the end of the first quarter, freshman Mia New-Schneider scored the first shot of the game after sophomore Allison Fellner got a rebound and passed to her. Coach Maya Schantz said that New-Schneider’s shot was particularly exciting because this is New-Schneider’s first year playing basketball.
“She made the shot tonight, and it was wonderful,” Schantz said. “And everyone was so happy for her.”
Fellner scored the second shot of the game in the second quarter with less than 30 seconds left until halftime. The first half of the game ended with the Lions down 29–4.
Although they were down by 25 points at the start of the second half, the Lions did not stop trying. Sophomore and captain Kira Koplow managed to keep the ball in tough situations. During the final quarter of the game, the whole team made a defensive comeback even though the Cubs offense was very strong. The Lions were able to bring the ball back to their side of the court.
Sophomore Jocelyn Fisher played almost the entire game and said she felt the team did not do too bad but that they have a lot to work on, particularly showing up for rebounds by running drills on that. She said that personally, she will work on limiting her turnovers and travels, and attempting more shots.
This is the first season these players have all played together. This is their first year at JDS for many players on the e team, including freshmen New-Schneider, Sam Kirchenbaum, Harriet Laskey and Shira Skolnik-Einhorn. Fisher said she and her teammates are close and they get opportunities to bond especially during their bus rides to practices at the Lower School. Because of this, Fisher said they were able to have high and positive energy during the game.
“I think on the court, at the start of the game, we were a little nervous, but as the game went on, it started to get better,” Fisher said. “And I think that we’re a pretty positive team.”
Freshman Ellie Friedrich said the team could have played better, but that she is ready to work on getting better at future practices. She said the team needs to focus on their communication and work on shooting the ball. Friedrich said the team relies on one another and grows closer during practices, especially when they’re doing running drills.
“We all really have to persevere to get through them, but it brings us closer because we cheer each other on,” Friedrich said.
After the game, Schantz said that shooting is something the team will need to continue working on throughout the season, and even though they did not get many shots during the game, this was an improvement from their first game. In their first game against Holton Arms, they only made baskets off of free throws; in this game, they were able to get open and make jump shots.
This is Schantz’s second year coaching the JV girls basketball team. She said that as an athlete, she knows how hard it is to continue to play a game while losing and that she is proud of the Lions for doing so. The Lions will continue making improvements at practice so they are ready for their next game on Dec. 8 against Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy.
“They stay in it and they play to the end, and that’s all I can ask for,” Schantz said. “They like playing, I think that keeps them motivated.”
