The women’s varsity basketball team lost to Eastern High School in the District of Columbia State Athletic Association (DCSAA) A division tournament championship at George Washington University on Sunday, March 2.
The GDS team surprised many with their journey to the finals after a difficult season in the upper division of the Independent School League (ISL) led them to be seeded 11th in the playoffs. Eastern was the number one seed in the tournament. GDS was promoted to the higher AA division of the DCSAA after winning the A division in 2024, but played in the lower division this season because they lost five players from last year’s team. The best team in the A division, Coolidge, played in the upper division tournament, and will play in the upper division next year.
The game opened with Eastern High School’s band playing as each starter was announced. Next, GDS’ starters were announced. The arena was full of enthusiastic parents, faculty and friends whose cheers echoed loudly as each name was called. The most energetic reactions were even shown on the arena’s jumbotron.
GDS won the tipoff, but Eastern got a steal that led to an early layup. Eastern scored another layup and a three-pointer to jump out to an early 7–0 lead. Eastern maintained strong defense throughout the first quarter, and only when freshman Raech McKnight earned a foul did GDS put up their first points. Senior Evelyn Chen scored a three-pointer, closing the gap to 7–5. Freshman Jozi McDuffie landed a two-point shot, which Eastern quickly answered with two additional layups. After a successful free throw from Eastern and a layup from Chen, the quarter ended with a score of 12–9 in Eastern’s favor.
Eastern opened the second quarter by adding to their lead with back-to-back three-pointers, and continued to power through GDS’s defense to get two more points. The teams traded baskets, but Eastern jumped out to a 22–11 lead. The teams went back and forth for the rest of the quarter, and when the whistle blew to end the half Eastern was ahead, 33–17.
During halftime, Eastern’s band continued to play, and free t-shirts were tossed into the audience.
In the third quarter, Jozi McDuffie and McKnight both earned fouls, making two free throws each to give GDS four points and cut into Eastern’s lead. Eastern earned seven quick points with a three-pointer and two layups, but GDS dominated the rest of the quarter. McKnight began the streak with a two-pointer, and junior Sabine Hletko Wood followed with another two points. (Hletko Wood is a sports editor of the Bit. She did not edit or read this article prior to publication). McKnight ended the quarter with a three-pointer, closing in on Eastern’s lead with a score of 42–32.
“I feel like my thoughts were just to keep going,” McKnight said. “I knew I would make mistakes, I knew they would make a couple more points, but my thoughts were just to keep pushing through it.”
The final quarter began strong, with two points from McDuffie and a free throw from Hletko Wood. The gap closed to only seven points, 42–35. Eastern then dominated with seven consecutive points, including a three-pointer. McDuffie gave GDS three more points from the free throw line, but it wasn’t enough to catch up.
Seniors Kesi McDuffie and Chen then came off the court of their final game on the GDS high school team. Both seniors were on the 2022 and 2024 GDS DCSAA A championship-winning teams.
“I loved my time playing for the GDS basketball team,” Chen said. “It’s sad that it’s ending, but I feel very lucky to have been coached by Pam [Stanfield] these past four years. She’s the best coach I’ve ever had, and it’s going to be sad to leave.”
Eastern sealed their 51–38 win with a buzzer-beating two-pointer.
“We had a tough season. We’re in a very tough league, playing against teams that are ranked in the nation, but I think the girls pushed through,” head coach Pam Stanfield told the Bit. “They stayed together, and they focused on the things that we wanted to focus on as a team each game.”
Stanfield also noted that each player improved significantly throughout the tournament.
“I was talking to the team today, just now, and I was telling them there was growth from each kid individually,” Stanfield said. “The rebounding, being effective on offense, moving the ball, boxing out and our rotations on defense—I was really proud of them for that.”
As for improvements to be made, Stanfield said, “Just focusing on the little things, that’s what I told the kids. Little things matter, and rebounding wins championships.”
For Chen, a highlight was the closeness of this year’s team. “This team has been so fun,” she said “I think it’s been a tough season, but it’s been my favorite season of basketball that I’ve played.”
The team has six freshmen on the roster, with Jozi McDuffie and McKnight as starters. Stanfield emphasized the freshman class’s potential for the future of GDS basketball, and the importance of mentoring the younger athletes.
“The freshmen are amazing. They’re all very talented,” Chen added.
Jozi McDuffie and McKnight contributed significantly throughout the season, and scored 13 and 11 points respectively during the championship game.
“Our future is bright,” Stanfield said. “I’m very excited for the girls, I think we have the best younger team ever.”