On Sunday, the women’s varsity basketball team faced Jackson-Reed in the District of Columbia State Athletic Association (DCSAA) Class A championship game, a contested matchup that saw the Hoppers rally from a double-digit deficit but come up just short in the end.
GDS entered the postseason 9–17 overall and 7–9 in the Independent School League (ISL) AA division. The ISL and DCSAA are each split into two divisions; in both, AA is the higher league and A is the lower. Despite the losing record in the regular season, the Hoppers secured the sixth seed out of 14 teams in the DCSAA lower-division tournament and returned to the finals for the third straight year.
GDS has faced Jackson-Reed in all three of those DCSAA tournament runs, beating them in the finals two years ago and the semifinals in 2025. Earlier this season, Jackson-Reed beat GDS 62–59.
After both teams’ starters were announced, George Washington University’s Charles E. Smith center echoed with the announcer’s call: “Ladies and gentlemen, let’s play basketball!”
Jackson-Reed opened the scoring with an early point off a free throw and followed it up with a three-pointer. After an extended passing sequence between junior Eden Samuel and sophomores Liya Fairfax, Raech McKnight and Jozi McDuffie, McDuffie drove to the basket and made a layup through contact to score GDS’ first points of the game. The next few minutes were defined by limited scoring and constant fouls, with both teams making frequent trips to the free throw line. The teams traded possession until, with just over two minutes left in the quarter, Fairfax grabbed sophomore Elayna Lewis’ rebound and sank GDS’ second and-one layup of the game, shouting out in celebration as the ball went through the net. McDuffie attempted a buzzer-beating three-pointer, but the ball ricocheted off the backboard as the clock hit zero. The score stood at 13–10, with Jackson-Reed ahead.
In a postgame interview, Fairfax said GDS was prepared for a physical game. “It’s a strategy going in: You never know how the refs are gonna call it, but try to attack the basket, get our free throws, knock them down and stay aggressive the whole game,” she said.
As V.I.C.’s “Wobble” blared over the loudspeaker, fans, including former GDS player and current American University women’s basketball team captain Madisyn Moore-Nicholson ’24, appeared on the jumbotron.
After the game, Moore-Nicholson, who led the Hoppers to their last championship victory over Jackson-Reed two years ago, praised the team’s consistency under head coach Pam Stanfield. “It’s really incredible what [Stanfield] has done with this program,” she said. “She’s been here [the state finals] four times in five years, and even though we didn’t get the outcome we wanted, they played hard and competed all the way through.”
The second quarter was similar to the first, with frequent trips to the free-throw line for both teams. GDS had strong full-court pressure on defense, forcing turnovers that led to multiple early scoring opportunities. But the Hoppers failed to convert any shots for the first three minutes of the quarter, until a midrange jumper by McDuffie broke the drought.
Lewis scored a layup of her own shortly thereafter, and Fairfax and McKnight each contributed a point from free throws, but Jackson-Reed responded each time and maintained their lead. On the final possession of the half, the Jackson-Reed Tigers nailed a three-pointer as the buzzer sounded, sending GDS into the locker room trailing 21–16.
Fairfax said Stanfield emphasized composure and execution at halftime. “Our coach just reminded us that we know how to do this,” she said. “We’ve been here before.”
GDS opened the third quarter with multiple strong passing sequences, but neither team scored consistently early on. After a series of missed layups from both teams, Jackson-Reed scored twice in a row, bringing the score to 27–16. The defensive intensity ramped up quickly, with both teams applying tight full-court pressure that led to deflections and contested shots on nearly every possession.
Jackson-Reed continued to build on their lead, but, with just under a minute left in the quarter, Samuel sank a corner three to cut the deficit to single-digits. Jackson-Reed responded with two made free throws, but a layup from McKnight as the quarter concluded kept GDS within reach, with the score at 35–26.
Throughout the second half, Samuel led GDS’ defensive effort, diving for loose balls, maintaining suffocating pressure and recording multiple steals. “I think I was just like, ‘Okay, I’m gonna press because I want to get the ball and I want our team to get another chance on the court,’ so I just kept that mindset the whole game,” Samuel said.
Lewis opened the final quarter with a defensive rebound and, following two made free throws by Jackson-Reed, a layup. The teams then traded possession with no points to show for it. With 5:43 left on the clock, McDuffie drove to the basket and was knocked down on her shot attempt, but Lewis nabbed the rebound and converted the layup before helping McDuffie to her feet as GDS’ bench and fans stood and cheered. McDuffie followed with a layup of her own, but Jackson-Reed immediately responded with an and-one, much to the delight of their screaming fan section.
GDS trailed by seven, but made free throws by Samuel and Lewis started to close that gap, bringing the score to 39–35. Soon after, Jackson-Reed called a timeout, and dueling chants of “Let’s go Tigers” and “Let’s go Hoppers” rang out from the approximately 300-person crowd as the teams huddled.
Stifling GDS defense caused Jackson-Reed to lose control of the ball, which rolled out of bounds for GDS possession. Fairfax quickly drew a foul and scored both of her free throws, bringing GDS within one possession of the Tigers for the first time since the first half.
Stanfield attributed GDS late-game surge to their patience on offense and “ball pressure in the back court.”
After Jackson-Reed junior Lanaia Martin fouled out with two minutes left, GDS ramped up the pressure. McDuffie stole the ball and went coast-to-coast for a layup, bringing the score to 42–40 in Jackson-Reed’s favor.
Jackson-Reed drew fouls on the next two plays, making three of four free throws and extending their lead to 45–40. McDuffie responded with a layup through contact for an and-one, making the subsequent free throw to once again make it a one-possession game.
A foul called against McDuffie with 11.4 seconds left on the clock seemed like it had the potential to be the nail in the coffin for GDS, but Jackson-Reed missed both free throws, giving the Hoppers one last chance to finish the comeback.
McDuffie grabbed the second rebound, drove down the court and passed to Fairfax, whose shot rimmed out. McDuffie collected the rebound, but she couldn’t get a shot off before time expired. As the buzzer sounded, Jackson-Reed players rushed the court to celebrate their 45–43 win.
Stanfield said that, after the game, she complimented her players’ efforts throughout the season. “They got this far because of their hard work and dedication and team chemistry,” Stanfield said. “It’s a tough way to go out.”
Stanfield declined to highlight any single player’s performance, saying, “I think the reason why we got this far is because we have all grown together, individually and as a team.”