The Deerfield girls JV basketball team faced a tough opponent in NMH this Saturday for their first game of the season. Team green put up a valiant fight, but despite a strong second half, could not come back against the powerful start by the blues. In the opening moments of the game, NMH were a fearsome competitor, but entering her first ever high school basketball game, Fiona Van Nice ‘25 immediately began stealing balls and snagging rebounds as soon as she stepped onto the court; she drew a foul and then made a free throw within her first couple of minutes on the court. Sally Rolland 23‘ started taking shots as soon as she stepped onto the court, and then made two free throws without any hesitation. Fiona also set up a perfect play for Nainika Lebaka ‘24 who used the backboard to sink a two-pointer. The team really stepped up their defence as the game went on, slowing the progress of the NMH ballers to an almost halt in the last 8 minutes of the first half.
The second half started strong and continued that way for the Doors with Nainika scoring a clean shot after a run from Cori Scagel ’25 and a setup from Fiona. Then Sally made a three-point shot, followed by Nainika making two buckets in quick succession, and then a three from Giorgio Santore ’24 had the crowd roaring. As this team found their footing, it was clear that the entire game was a true testament to teamwork — Ellie Schiller ’25 chased down every ball, refusing to give up if there was even the slightest chance of greens taking possession, and each member of the team played a key role in what was a positive start to the season. We’re looking forward to our next game on Wednesday against Westminster.