The women’s varsity basketball team dominated Foxcroft School, 52–5, on Saturday, Feb. 1.
The win improved GDS to a 2–12 record. This was their second win after moving up to the higher AA division in the Independent School League (ISL) following their win in the A division championship last season.
Senior Kesi McDuffie opened the scoring with a three-pointer and then got a steal and scored a layup early in the game to set the tone. Freshman Liya Fairfax hit a layup and got fouled to extend GDS’ lead. Next, it was freshman Jozi McDuffie’s turn with a steal and a lay. Foxcroft had no answer for GDS’ smothering defense and only attempted one shot all quarter. It was all GDS from the jump, and by the end of the first quarter GDS was leading 14–3.
The second quarter was more of the same. Fairfax made a nice layup followed by a floater by Jozi McDuffie. Senior Evelyn Chen made a three-pointer, which led to a strong run by GDS. Freshman Hazel Schroeder made a layup followed by a three-pointer from Kesi McDuffie. Freshman Lindsay Fuzesi knocked down a three-pointer at the buzzer to end the half. Foxcroft was held scoreless throughout the second quarter. At the end of the half, GDS held a 31–3 lead.
The second half started with a Chen floater and putback layup, followed by a steal and a layup by freshman Raech McKnight. Jozi McDuffie scored a layup to end the quarter with GDS ahead, 40–3.
The fourth quarter started with two big shots from two of the team’s seniors, as Kesi McDuffie hit a three-pointer and Chen made a layup to extend the GDS lead. The final score was 52–5, giving GDS a dominating win for their senior night.
After the game, Fuzesi reflected on the season thus far, saying, “This season has been a bit rocky. We’ve had our ups and downs, but we’ve stayed positive through it all.” She highlighted the seniors on the team as responsible for the optimism. “The seniors have been very positive, great leaders; everyone really looks up to them,” she said. “They’ve set such a positive environment and we’re lucky to have them.”
Chen told the Bit her favorite memory at GDS was winning the District of Columbia State Athletic Association (DCSAA) championship in 2024. “We had great chemistry and we had put in so much time and effort, so it felt amazing for it to pay off,” she said. When asked what she would miss about being on the team, she said, “I’m really going to miss just hanging out with the team. Everyone on the team is super special and I’m really going to miss joking around with them.”
Chen is committed to play basketball at Carleton College next year.
GDS will work to build on this win in their next game at Sidwell at 5:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 4.