KNIGHTS HAND ISLANDERS FIRST LOSS

By Paradis Jolie Fejerang

The St. John’s Knights stepped into the Kennedy High Islanders’ home court with excitement to be facing off with public school competitors this year, especially in Monday night’s matchup as they view JFK’s girls as one of the top competition this season. The Islanders entered the game with an undefeated streak, but were upset by a mere three points of a final score of 58-55.

Reigning IIAAG MVP Jia Peters had 26 points and 13 rebounds while sidekicks Amara Del Carmen and Zoe Whitehead head had 15. The trio scored 56 of the Knights 58 points.

The first and second quarters of the game were interesting as there seemed to be a lull in energy, despite the early lead from the underdog Knights in the first half as they led 30-24. It was during the third quarter that the athletes, along with the spectators, appeared to have a burst in energy as tension built on the court and JFK was able to pull the score back up to even out with their opponents.

Knights junior captain Peters led St. John’s throughout the game as she stayed in communication with them and showing how well the young group of girls work with each other as they were not as loud on the court, but were able to understand each other’s movements with even the smallest point of a finger.

As for JFK, Jaelyn Han ran the show with each step the Islanders made to overtake the Knights. Unfortunately for the green and gold girls, with every advance of points and aggression they used to pull forward the slightest bit, the Knights would return the energy straight back for an exhilarating game that left the crowd jumping up and down on the bleachers as the leading team consistently switched by just one point throughout the third quarter.

With the Knights refusing to let the Islanders advance by much, the frustration in the JFK athletes manifested positively with athletes like Han and Franchesca Aguilar having an impressive quarter of the game right off the half and bringing the morale up for the entire team as a win became more attainable with every point. The Islanders were moving faster than they had been on the court, allowing Han to shine as she drove through her competitors’ defense and ending the third quarter with three crowd-stunning 3-pointers, but still not enough to tie up the score as the third ended with the Knights ahead 48-45.

“We let up a little bit, but as soon as we saw they were coming back, we knew that we [had to] get it going and start our rhythm back up,” noted Peters as her and the rest of the Knights picked up on their passing to combat JFK pulling forward in points for a moment.

With her team getting tired, but striving for the win, Knights co-captain and fellow junior Del Carmen came through with consistency in ensuring the ball stayed with the Knights on offense as Peters’ right-hand in movement and rebounds as she shares that she felt her energy was up in wanting to keep the lead.

Ultimately, the Knights were triumphant and are more than happy with their win, having prepared during practice for exactly what the Islanders brought to the game. “We knew they were going to come out with a strong man-to-man, so we were running offensives [during practice] to counteract that,” stated Peters. “It feels good to break that streak.”

The season is nowhere near over yet and the Knights seem to just be getting started as they are more than enthusiastic about their upcoming matchups, especially after such a big win. “There are some good competitors left – Academy, GW, ND – and I’m excited for playoffs,” added Del Carmen.

The two are ready for their team to approach their next game against the George Washington Geckos, planning on heading onto the court with power and keeping their momentum going.

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