Ball is Life
At the beginning of the winter, we dread the snow, but eventually all Burncoat students have one thing to look forward to – basketball. The sport is an important part of the school year, not only to the players, but to the students who support both the boys' and girls' teams. Whenever there is a boys' basketball game at Burncoat High, the gym is guaranteed to be packed.
The boy's team have had a solid season, standing at eight wins and twelve losses. Record-wise, the team was better this season by two wins, but Coach Connor is only comfortable with that – not ecstatic. Their goal was to make it to the playoffs, which there was hope for, up until the end of the season. This goal was not met, but there were some highlights of the season and when we asked Coach Connor what the strength of the season was, he did not blink an eye before saying, "guard-play." He also gave a certain well-known guard a shout-out. He believes Unique Jackson was an essential part to this team, saying Jackson is "one of the best guards in the city" and that he "led the way".
Although it has been sad to see the twelve Burncoat losses, do not let the record fool you. Regardless if it is a win or a loss, the boys always put up a fight. A lot of the games were very close including the December 23rd loss to North which ended in a slim three point defeat. Another display of a close game this season would be the January 5th loss to Shrewsbury where victory was missed by a mere five points. The boys basketball team still has won eight games and their performance this season was certainly admirable.
Another team that is fighting, and changing, is the girls' basketball team. A huge change was made to the team this year, and that has been the induction of Coach Keenan. The girls may have a record of four wins and twelve losses, but they had to learn entirely different offensive and defensive plays.
Keenan seemed very hopeful for the future of the girls' team and when asked an important question —"Do you think you will coach again next year?" — he gave a positive "Oh, yes!" Regarding the girls' record, he said, "We have our ups and downs, [but] the girls are learning."
Captain Katie Pasquale said of their improvements, "I think we're doing better."
The girls are in the process of rebuilding and they are well aware of that. Coach Keenan also knows and seems to be optimistic about the upcoming year since they will have a better grasp on what Coach Keenan asks of them. With their season nearing its end, everybody at Burncoat High will have to watch out for the girls' and boys' basketball team next year!