Oliver Giller Jan. 8, 2025

On Tuesday, January 7, at 5:15 pm, after waiting over an hour for St. Mary Academy Bay View High School’s JV girls’ basketball team to show up, athletes and spectators were dismayed to learn that Bay View did not, in fact, have a JV girls’ basketball team. Some had been suspicious after the 30-minute mark, but Classical’s JV team had retained hope until the end. Freshman Kria Sissoko of the JV team felt they had something to prove. 

“You feel kind of nervous” before a game, she said. “You’re JV, so not a lot of people expect you to win. But we get better and better each game.” 

To Coach K, who shows up to every JV game to help the team, the news was also quite unexpected—but she expects the girls to have plenty of opportunities in the future. Her biggest focus, she says, is “getting them prepared for varsity.”

Coach K prepares Classical’s JV team for the match with Bay View, an hour before its cancellation. Photo by Oliver Giller

At 6:30 the match between the Classical and Bay View varsity teams began without a hitch, a relief after the disappointment of the JV game. The beginning was close—Classical ended the first quarter just a point behind Bay View’s thirteen. In the second quarter, Bay View started to pull ahead, achieving a 31-16 lead with 1:28 left on the clock. With less than a minute to spare, junior Katherine Escobar scored a layup, ending the second quarter 31-18.

The varsity game begins. Photo by Oliver Giller

Many were still hopeful during halftime. Jabreel Reda Fraya, a sophomore who has recorded each of Classical’s basketball games for team review (his footage of this game will be on the Purple Review’s website shortly) was especially optimistic. “We’re pressing well, defending well. I’m feeling good, actually. I think they can come back.”

But the third quarter saw Bay View pull further ahead, ending with a lead of 42-26. In the fourth quarter, with less than four minutes left, Bay View was leading 57-28.

In the final three and a half minutes of the game, Classical nearly had its comeback. Juniors Katherine Escobar and Daniella Jimenez had brought Classical’s score up to 37 points by the final thirty seconds. With less than five seconds left, Daniella sank the final shot, a 3-pointer, ending the game 57-40. Although Classical lost, they had put up a good fight. Katherine Escobar was the team’s high scorer, earning her team 21 points.

“We put in our full effort, and I’m happy with how we hustled,” said Maddie Colangelo, one of Classical’s team captains. The players met after the game with the girls’ varsity coach, Anthony Voccio. 

Their next game is on Wednesday, January 8, 6:45 pm against Chariho High School, and their next home game is on Monday, January 13, 6:00 pm against Juanita Sanchez.