This Week in Sports - Week #20

Dave Levy, Athletic Director

Badgers Elevate Level of Play, Excel in the Den! - 1/16/25

In order to be truly prepared, one has to put in the work when nobody is watching.  The key moments are when a player is on their own before or after practice, during break times, or in the evenings.  Behind the scenes, Sophie has put a lot of work into her jumpshot. Focusing on her footwork, follow through and with great attention to detail, Sophie's shot has dramatically improved. Tonight, in front of an enthusiastic crowd, she put it all together.  
 
Raquel set a screen for Sophie on the block.  Sophie set up the screen - faking one way and cutting the other, curling off Raquel's shoulders and catching the ball in the foul line.  There was no wasted motion, she had her knees bent and let the ball fly, holding her follow through as if she was reaching for the cookie on the top shelf.  Swish!  Sophie scored the first of two field goals on the night, and later earned a trip to the line as well, attacking the basket with purpose!
 
The Badgers came out on fire this evening, scoring nine points in the opening stanza.  Annie got a basket after Zuri won the tip off, and was a threat to score everytime she got the ball.  Her aggressiveness has been unleashed - Annie can get around any defender - just a little shake of the hips, a quick step, and Annie is off to the races.  She scored in the half court, in transition, and tallied a bucket in all four quarters - ten points in all.  
 
The Badgers had a ten point lead at the half, and used the opportunity to run through their offense.  The team did not force any shots, but when they got open and it was a high percentage opportunity, the Badgers went to work. Zuri made a key lay-up, Malena had several rebounds, and Raquel set up Hadley with beautiful passing for a big second half.  Hadley went to the foul line, beat her defender in transition and scored in the paint. What an effort!
The team continues to dominate the post - Sam and Zuri each had over ten rebounds, and the Badgers emerged victorious! Congratulations to the squad - Zoe's presence as a leader in the huddle was invaluable - and the team was off to the races! Well done! The Badgers return to the floor on Wednesday at CDS at 5:30.
 
Shooting with confidence, Aven lit up the scoreboard tonight!  Assisted by Grayson, he scored from the wing, and then split the defense into the paint. Each of his baskets highlighted the second half, as he worked within the offense to earn a career high!
 
The Badgers dominated from start to finish.  Jayceon and Dalin each took a turn at bringing the ball up the court, and both were dangerous.  Jayceon hit a three in the first quarter to get the scoring going, and Dalin was an unstoppable force once he got in the paint.  Both players are impossible to guard - they are strong in the paint and from the perimeter.  Mason also dominated inside - he was a powerful presence in the paint and scored multiple baskets in both the first and second quarters!
 
Eli rounded out the scoring, earning four points in the paint! As good as Tandem was on offense, the game really came down to defense.  The Badgers held their opponent to only five points in the first half, a lot of that due to the interior presence of Levie and Peter and the pressure on the wings from Julian and Ryan - tonight's crowd favorite. Whit and Quinten each came up with a steal, and Tandem earned a big win on their home floor.

MS Badgers Fight to the Finish in the Den! - 1/15/25
The Middle School Boys have been busy: yesterday was their third game in five days! The Badgers got lots of contributions from their bench - Levi played some strong minutes, chipping in a key jumper in the second quarter. Ryan had four rebounds, and made strong outlet passes to Jayceon, who added a three in the third. Julian and Quinten picked up Peabody's point guard in the backcourt, playing defense with their feet, and forcing him to his weak hand.

Despite a deficit at half time, the team showed a lot of fight down the stretch. Dalin stayed aggressive, fighting for position and getting lots of rebounds, and attacking the basket. Dalin earned four trips to the line, scoring 11 points on the day. Levie and Eli also provided a presence in the post, working hard to defend the paint.
 
Offensively, Trenton got the team organized, took several quality open shots, and found open teammates - Whit in the short corner, Aven on the baseline, and Grayson for a big three from downtown. 
 
The Peabody Girls scored a quick basket after winning the tip, and led 12-2 after the first quarter. It would have been easy for Tandem to quit, hang their heads and go home frustrated. Instead, the team left it all on the line, increasing their defensive pressure.

The second quarter featured a key basket from Malena, who was incredibly aggressive. She took more shots than she has taken in any other game this season - and forced the defense to focus on her. Zoe was everywhere - rebounding the ball and providing excellent defensive pressure! Zuri was incredible on the boards! She boxed out, dove on the floor for loose balls, and was a major difference maker in the game! Zuri earned a trip to the line in the second, and the Badgers increased their scoring total to 9! Tandem trailed 17-9 at the half.

In the third quarter, Annie was decisive. After receiving a beautiful bounce pass from Raquel, she dribbled the ball to the top of the key, looked at her defender, and beat her with a quick first step. Before you could blink, Annie was already in the lane. She scored 6 points in the third quarter alone (15 for the game). Hadley also took the ball to the basket, scoring in traffic, and she and Annie accounted for a 10-2 run! With time running out, Annie got a rebound and headed down the floor. 5 seconds to go. Annie juked a defender, and got to the foul line. 3 seconds to go. Annie extended her stride, got to the rim, and shot right as time elapsed. Tandem cut the lead to two!
 
Sam made an excellent inbounds pass to start the final period, allowing Annie to get to the rim again and tie the game! Raquel's execution on the sideline inbounds play was excellent - she had really focused on that! On the ensuing possession, Zoe found Annie cutting to the basket. She was fouled and made one free throw, giving Tandem their first lead of the game after trailing by ten in the first quarter. 
 
Peabody took the lead back, scoring on the next possession, before Hadley chipped in another key bucket.  Tandem led by one! With 2:00 to go, Peabody knocked in a deep three - a low percentage shot - but it went in and Peabody escaped with a tight win.
 
Congratulations to the MS Girls - what an impressive comeback against a tough team! There is no quit in this team, and they should be very proud of what they've accomplished! 

Middle School Badgers Dominate Covenant - 1/12/25
The intensity was palpable as the Badgers took the floor for their annual matchup with their crosstown rival. In both December of 2022 and 2023, Covenant defeated Tandem by double digits. The 2024-2025 Boys Middle School Badgers came into this game with an impressive three game win streak, an incredibly deep roster, and a serious chip on their shoulder. This year - in The Badger Den - it was going to be different.  
 
Mason got the scoring going with smooth back to the basket moves, and Dalin followed that up with an aggressive drive to the rim. He faked a cross over to the left, got his defender leaning, and drew contact as he attacked the basket. Moments later, Jayceon knocked in a three from the left wing - he is so consistent from that spot - and Covenant took a timeout. It didn't help much - the Badgers defense was everywhere and the Eagles didn't score a single basket in the opening period!
 
Tandem followed up their explosive first quarter with 11 points in the second, giving the home team a commanding 20-2 lead at half time. The defense was anchored by Grayson and Levi's pressure at the top of the key, while Julian, Levie and Quinten anchored the back line. Ryan had a key assist on a beautiful pass to Dalin, and Aven boxed out to earn several rebounds. Tandem was rolling!
 
In the second half, Covenant came out in a full court press. They scored the first five, including a deep three pointer, gaining momentum for a comeback. Tandem's press break execution was excellent, with Trenton handling the ball and throwing outlet passes to Whit. Jayceon streaked down the right side of the floor, and Whit found him for a tough take to the rim. Jayceon made both foul shots (he was a perfect 4-4 on the day at the line.) 
 
Trenton was hungry - he hit a three when his defender went under a high screen from Peter, and then was fouled on a three when his opponent tried to fight through the screen.  He generated five points in ten seconds, and the Badgers kept a healthy lead as they moved into the final period.
 
Both teams were in the bonus as the game became tightly contested, and the Badgers made 6/10 foul shots while Covenant made just 2/8 in the 4th quarter. Levi calmly sank two, as did Dalin. Elias entered the game to help the Badgers break the press! 
 
Covenant scored the first four of the quarter, the Badgers maintained a double digit lead for most of the game. With moments to go, Tandem dumped the ball into Mason in the short corner. He spun toward the middle and sealed his defender high. Then, keeping his dribble, he flipped his hips and spun back to the baseline, earning space and scoring in traffic.  Covenant gave it their all in the home stretch, but Tandem got a big time win on their home floor - 40-29.  
 
The Badgers played with skill, intensity and teamwork - congratulations to the Middle School Badgers! The team went 2-0 on the week, also defeating Waldorf on Thursday! Peter had a big three in that game!  
Back
Tandem Friends School is a co-ed Quaker day school for grades 5-12 in Charlottesville, Virginia.
 
Copyright 2016 Tandem Friends School