Masterman Girls Basketball: In a League of Their Own

Everyone in the school has heard talk about the Masterman Girls’ Basketball team, also known as the Lady Dragons, and their groundbreaking victories. This season they had a winning record of 18-5. The team will be attending states this year after claiming victory at the Bodine conferences. An obvious strength of the Lady Dragons, to anyone watching them, is their synergy and communication on the court, which allows them to outsmart and outplay their opponents. The two highest scorers, Sophia Brunelli and Jocelyn Goldstein, the latter of which is the first thousand point scorer in seven years, discuss the team’s success throughout the season.

What are your hopes for this season and the next?

Jocelyn : I would say right now we’re in the public league playoffs and we just won the first round so now we’re moving onto the elite 8 where we are playing Imhotep. Our next goal is to win that game. Also, we qualified for states so we can get our states win this year. 

How has being on the basketball team influenced you as a person and student? 

Jocelyn: Definitely time management is huge because it's a really big commitment everyday after school. As a student, it’s just made me manage my time better but also I think it’s a good outlet to meet new people, be with friends, and play a sport that I enjoy. 

Sophia: Being captain has been nice. We got our coach replaced this year. Mr Otarola usd to be our coach and he’s the type of person who doesn’t make juniors captains so it’s kind of like unexpected to step into this role this year. But I think it was nice like all the girls listen to me and ask me for advice. As a student, it’s helped me as a stress relief. It’s a way for me to relieve some of the stress of Masterman. 

What is your favorite part about being on a team with so much spirit? 

Jocelyn: I think definitely we’ve had more girls come out this year and it’s been nice to get to know people from across different grades especially. And yeah, just building team chemistry throughout the season. 

Sophia: It’s great. It really helps me stay motivated throughout the games. 

Are you feeling ready to claim victory in states?

Jocelyn: Oh, we’re so ready to claim victory. 

Sophia: Yes!. We have a month until states so I definitely feel like we need to put in the work at practice. Then we will be ready. 

What’s your favorite memory from this season?

Jocelyn: I think from this one it’s probably the conference championship. Our last conference game was against a team that was also undefeated and it just so happened that that game became the conference championship. It was also senior day so we had a bunch of students there supporting us. We got to celebrate the seniors so that was a really nice game for us. 

Sophia: When we beat Northeast. We beat them in overtime. 41-38, and they’re in the A division so that’s good. It felt empowering. 

Do you have a favorite move you use in in-game emergencies?’

Jocelyn: A move? In emergencies I love to pull out like three pump fakes in a row. The pump fake, that’s what I like to do. 

Sophia: I guess when I have the ball I like pump fake. 

Being a student athlete can be time consuming, but do you have any out of school hobbies or activities?

Jocelyn: I’m in Voices as well. I’m also in peer counseling which is sometimes hard when I have games cause it conflicts with that. And then, outside of school I like to sew. So yeah, I like to sew clothing and hang out with friends. 

Sofia: I like to bake. I like to hang out my friends and my cat. I also like to shop. 

Do you have any pre or post game rituals?

Jocelyn: I feel like I don’t really have any rituals. Usually when we’re on the bus I either just take a nap if I’m tired or I talk to friends. Yeah, I don’t do anything consistently. 

Sophia: Uh, no. Did Jocelyn say she had any? Oh, she sleeps. I don’t take the bus. I go home with my dad and grandpa, they come to every single one of my games and take me home. 

A special question for the MVP. 

How does it feel to be a thousand point scorer??

Jocelyn: That game was really sweet. That was an exciting game because I scored my one thousandth point in our playoff game. That was really nice and I loved all the support. Hannah, on our team, shoutout hannah, she painted a ball for my one thousandth point. And then also, all of my friends came with posters which was really sweet.