Girls JV Basketball Shines with 8-2 Season
The team huddles up before the game against Thomas Jefferson Campus on January 8. Photo: Tiffany Tan
By DIMITRA TSIRIAS and TIFFANY TAN
Tiffany Tan is a manager of the Girls JV Basketball Team.
The Girls Junior Varsity Basketball team finished their 2023-2024 season with a record of 8-2, tying with Fort Hamilton for second in the Brooklyn division, and rebounding from a disappointing 3-7 effort last year. However, the team’s journey came to a heartbreaking end on February 9, when they were forced to forfeit to Francis Lewis at Midwood’s C-Gym in the playoffs, as the PSAL rulebook says that you must have seven players to start the game, but the Lady Hornets only had six.
“It hit me like a brick hearing Francis Lewis cheering from down the hall,” said freshman Yihua (Eva) Huang.
“It was something that we couldn't control, and we just have to work harder,” said Eboni Legagneur ‘27.
“It was disappointing,” said Mr. Edward Giordano, the team’s coach. “I feel bad for the athletes who worked so hard throughout the season and accomplished one of their goals, which was to make the playoffs, and they were not able to compete.”
Midwood started off the season strong, beating Brooklyn Tech 28-21, Brooklyn Community Arts & Media 37-5, and Grand Street Campus in a 40-36 thriller.
“The game against Grand Street was tough,” said sophomore Miranda Insaridze. “We started off good, but their best player [Aniyah Moore] picked up, especially at the end.”
“It was quite tense, but everyone knew that we needed to get together and look for their weaknesses in order to break through them,” said Viktoriia Yatsyshyna ‘27.
“We pushed and played our hearts out [against Grand Street] because it was our game to take home,” Huang said. “It was nerve-wracking, especially when they pulled out the tall and big players against someone like me, who's 5’2.”
Their winning streak came to an end against South Shore, the top team in the division, 78-9.
“The game was very difficult due to the high level of talent and confidence of most of the South Shore players,” said Shayla Bowen ‘26.
“We went into the game [against South Shore] to use it as a tool to learn and not focus on the outcome,” said Mr. Giordano. “The first quarter, the athletes were frustrated, and from then on, they started to have fun and do the best they could. We set goals for each quarter and they achieved them.”
After a 42-28 loss to Fort Hamilton, the Lady Hornets quickly bounced back and ended the season with four more wins, beating John Jay Campus 41-32, Thomas Jefferson 47-35, James Madison 40-34, and New Utrecht 39-29 as the team’s camaraderie improved.
“Many of the girls are relatively new to the sport, so they don't have experience yet, especially in game situations,” Mr. Giordano said. “But they are very coachable, hardworking, and they support each other.”
“The teamwork we have is unbreakable,” said sophomore Yu Ting (Maddie) Pan. “We acknowledge each other's points of view to understand one another.”
“We started off a pretty big mess, but over time we got comfortable, became more organized, and running plays became easier,” Huang said. “We are like a family and take care of each other. We play pretty well, cheer each other on, and whenever we score, we always give high fives.”
Captain Iris Lin ‘27 said, “We don’t have the superior vs inferior dynamic, which is something I love because it makes everyone feel comfortable.”
The girls also praised their coach. Insaridze said Mr. Giordano is “very approachable and believes in the team.”
“The drive that coach has when we are in games and in practice has impacted me and many other players to strive and improve,” Bowen said.
“Coach Giordano is patient with us and he definitely gets the vibe going during game time,” Lin said. “His humor makes everything less tense, and I think that plays a big part in our chemistry.”
The team is already looking forward to next season and the challenge it may bring.
“I hope we are able to make the playoffs again,” Legagneur said.
“Next year, I hope we can still be as good as this season,” said Huang. “We will be losing a lot of people, but I hope the new people coming in have an idea of how competitive we have to be and how hard they have to work for it.”