Friday saw a contentious battle for first place in the Boys & Girls Club intra-district 4th/5th Grade Girls Basketball Final. A “hybrid” team consisting of six SMASH students and two Roosevelt Elementary students clawed their way to victory against a conglomerate team from the Mar Vista Gardens Boys & Girls Club and McKinley Elementary.
SMASH, while undefeated last season, saw their only two losses this regular season to the Mar Vista/McKinley Team. As the playoffs progressed, the SMASH/Roosevelt and MarVista/McKinley teams barreled towards this inevitable, third matchup.
In a shocking turn of play SMASH/Roosevelt’s aggressive, defense-oriented strategy lead to Mar Vista‘s first (and final) defeat. These games, often with scores in the high 20s to mid 30s, saw a 13-8 final score. But this low score belies the 40 minutes of rim-to-rim action and tenacious play put on display by these 4th and 5th grade athletes. (Left to Right, Front to Back)
Nalina Chopra, Margaux Uspensky-Parkhideh, Lyra Booher, Nora Funke, Lara Huffman, Camila Villegas, Nova Toscano, Maria .
Coaches Martin Garber & Armon Freeman