The Phoenix Aim to Surge Forward

In a game with both highs and lows, the Phoenix, Stuyvesant’s girls’ varsity basketball team, found themselves ahead in the fourth quarter, trying to hold onto their lead. After fairly lopsided second and third quarters, in which they outscored the Baruch High School Blue Devils by six and seven, respectively, the Phoenix were in control of the game entering the fourth quarter of play. In the fourth, however, the tide began to turn. The Blue Devils gained some momentum, and the Phoenix gave it their all in order to hold them off. The buzzer sounded and Stuyvesant clung to a one-point lead after being outscored 16-5 in the final quarter.

After a hard-fought win at Baruch High School, the Phoenix rose to a record of 3-0, putting them at the top of the Manhattan A South Division.

Entering their fourth game of the season on the road against Lab Museum United, the Phoenix hoped to continue their undefeated season and move to an impressive 4-0. Trailing by one point entering the fourth quarter, the Phoenix hoped to make a comeback and secure their fourth win of the season. However, the Lady Gators of Lab Museum United held their ground, outscoring the Phoenix by a score of 19-12.

This was the first loss of the season for the Phoenix and brought them back to reality after a hot start. They realized that they could be competitive this year, but that it wasn’t going to be easy. Senior and co-captain Eve Wening summarized the loss, saying, “Sometimes, we lack confidence and get frazzled.” Their next opponent, Bayard Rustin, came into the game at 2-2, hoping to go above .500 once again.

The Phoenix were able to turn things around against the Bayard Rustin Titans. The Phoenix played an incredibly strong game, quickly leading the Titans 14-4 after one quarter of play. From there, it was all the Phoenix in a runaway win that resulted in a 41-23.

Following this game, Wening said, “It was a pretty important win for us and we didn’t just win, we beat them by almost 20, which proved that when we play confidently and together we are much better than a lot of other teams in our division.” It was a matter of re-establishing confidence for the Phoenix, and this game, following a loss to Lab Museum United, showed that they could play at the highest level and ultimately compete in a high-pressure environment.

The Phoenix played as a team in their game against the Titans: they had a total of 12 assists and a vast majority of the roster put points on the board.

With seven games remaining in the season, the Phoenix are looking to finish strong. At the moment, they reside at the top of the division with a record of 4-1. They hope to maintain that position for the rest of the season, with the division title as their goal. After three straight second-place finishes in their division, the Phoenix have a solid chance to come out on top and make a strong playoff push this season.