This Week in Sports - Week #22

Dave Levy, Athletic Director
What a week for our teams both on the road and in the Badger Den! Lots of game details in the writeups below (be sure to click on Read More to see it all) as our Middle School teams prepare for their final games and our varsity teams look ahead to post-season play.

Benches Deliver in Badger Battle vs Quantico - 1/31/25
With a tenacious spirit, the Varsity Girls opened the game last night on a 16-2 run, including 14 points in the opening quarter!! Contributions came from everywhere - Tessa (8 points) had a steal and score right off the bat, and Ginger had a steal on the press and got the ball to Juli, who finished with a career high 6 points on the day! Maya scored off a screen, she had 6 as well, and Madeline was dominant! She had two buckets off post moves in the opening period, and also assisted Juli! Sophie and Ginger both earned trips to the line and both scored in the first half, and Tandem was on a roll! The back line of Victoria, Catriona and Madeline was hard to penetrate, and Quantico struggled to get in the paint. They had only three in the first quarter!
 
Quantico finished the half on a run of their own, and the Badgers led 20-14 at the break. Tessa scored early in the third to keep the Tandem momentum going, and the Badgers held Quantico without a field goal in the period! Annie was tough as nails - a big part of our defensive prowess - forcing the opposing guards to dribble with their weak hand or to take tough shots - and Quantico scored only two points on free throws. Tandem extended their lead to 23-16.
Juli made several big plays in the final period. She had a bucket right away in the paint. Quantico went on a run, scoring 6 straight and tying the game. With less than 2:00 to go, Tessa got a steal in transition, scored, and Tandem was back ahead by 2. Quantico made one free throw, and the Badgers needed to finish with strong defense.  
 
Tandem controlled the ball for a long possession, including a jump ball, but Quantico eventually got the ball back. They threw it into the post and Juli tied up her opponent - forcing a jump ball with only four seconds on the clock. The ball was passed into the corner, and Quantico's point guard launched a three. It came up short, but a questionable foul was called. Quantico made 2/3 free throws.
 
Coaches Stan, Reggie and I are very proud of this squad! In many ways, it was Tandem's best game of the season. Seven different players scored, the team had their most explosive quarter and their highest number of steals. While they were on the frustrating end of some tough calls, the Badgers gave it their all for 32 minutes. 
 
Special thanks to Dev, Kanice and Ellia for doing an excellent job in a tight game behind the table. Great work!
 
In the second half of the double header, the Varsity Boys executed Coach Sam's plan with excellence. Having already taken on defending state champion New Covenant this week, the team was ready for the GPAC competition. Between their trapping press and hot shooting, the Badgers led 23-4 after one quarter. Sin scored inside and out, finishing with 11 and Sean (9 points) was everywhere, dominating in the paint. Quis was aggressive - taking the ball to the paint, and Amir's three was hot - off the dribble or catch and shoot - and he scored 6 in a hurry!
 
Then, with the game seemingly in hand, the team showed off their depth. In the second, Shaan had a beautiful pass to Mason for a bucket underneath. In the third and fourth quarters, Seamus took over - scoring in the paint and kicking the ball out to Derion, who was red hot for three - he hit two in a row.
 
Just like in the first game, Tandem had nine different players score in the game: Tre'Sean continued his hot shooting from downtown, Anthony was dominant in the middle, Derion finished with a game high 14! What a great showing from our Varsity Badgers - who have one more game tonight at 5:30 to wrap up what has been an impressive week. They play vs KAA in the Den - a rematch you don't want to miss.
 
Thanks to Lili and Cullen!

MS Badgers Take Charge in Double Header vs Grymes - 1/29/25
With less than thirty seconds to go, Grymes grabbed a rebound and sped up the court. Tandem led by 2, and Grymes had their eyes on an open lane and an opportunity to tie the game. As the seconds ticked off the clock, Grayson went into a full sprint. Angled directly toward the block, Grayson turned his body to face his oncoming opponent. The Grymes guard was coming in at full speed - and Grayson braced for collision. WHAM! Grayson held his position as long as he could, took the contact, and went flying to the floor. All eyes were on the officials.
 
As the referee put one hand on his head and extended the other, the crowd erupted into celebration. In one of the biggest moments of the game, Grayson sacrificed his body, taking a charge, and gave his team the best chance to win! What a true measure of a smart player and a great teammate. The Badgers maintained their lead!
 
On their next possession, Grymes got to the line with only two seconds to go and knocked in the free throws. The game went into overtime! With just two minutes on the clock, any basket could immediately turn the tide. The ball was rotated by Trenton into the paint, where Dalin kicked it out to Jayceon - he let the ball fly from the corner and made his second three of the game! Jayceon's basket proved to be the only score during the overtime period, and the Badgers won 25-22!
 
Levi and Ryan each made their first starts of the season, and Eli also played critical minutes, rebounding and earning trips to the line in the homestretch. Mason scored 4 in the first quarter while Dalin was dominant in the second half, he had one to start the final period and scored nine points total - all in crunch time. 
 
The team held Grymes to only 22 points - Levi and Julian helped to extend possessions, Quinten and Whit were strong defensively, and Elias brought great energy. It was an awesome win for the home team, down at half time, finding a way to win. They return to the floor for the final time next Thursday vs Community Christian Academy at 4:15.
 
The Tandem MS Girls have been on fire - they've now won three games in a row, knocking off Amelia Academy, CDS and Grymes, creating match up problems for their competition. Hadley opened the game with a coast to coast lay-up for 2 of her eight points on the night. Working in tandem with Annie, the backcourt was essentially unguardable. Annie scored off the catch on inbounds passes with a beautiful jumper, got to the basket and earned multiple trips to the foul line. She is fearless, taking on any defender, any contact and simply continues to contribute at the highest level. With a game high 15 (outscoring Grymes by herself), Annie had a truly special performance.
 
The team led 9-4 after the first period, when Sophie got yet another rebound and stepped through two defenders. She drew a foul and went back to the foul line, where she has been super consistent this season. Raquel was red hot, scoring twice in the second period, and shooting with confidence. She has taken her game to another level! Tandem dominated the second quarter 10-2.

In the third period, Malena caught the ball at the high post and turned to the basket. She fired up a jump shot and it dropped through the basket! Who set up all of these players for their scoring opportunities? Sam brought the ball up the court for the entire second half, using her ball handling skills and passing prowess. Zuri created extra possessions! She's an amazing rebounder!
 
The team has improved astronomically, and will have a rematch vs their first opponent of the season, Covenant, on Tuesday at 4 at home.  
 
Shout out also to JV Boys for their win vs New Covenant and the Varsity Boys who played a solid game versus New Covenant as well - the defending state champs.

Tight Badger Battle vs Covenant in the Den! - 1/28/25
Covenant's JV Boys won the tip, but Henry got back and stopped their guard right in his tracks. When he picked up his dribble, Tre'Sean stripped the ball away, and Tandem was off to the races. Moments later, Shaan found Seamus cutting backdoor, leading to a lay-up for our first basket of the day.
 
Covenant had a lot of size in their front court, including a 6'8" center, but that didn't stop Dalin from securing offensive rebounds, drawing fouls, and getting to the line. Amari also had a huge first half, pulling in lots of rebounds and getting to the line as well. Between that and a big three from Derion, the Badgers were within 9 after the first period.
 
Derion hit another deep three to start the second, and Tandem's defense picked up as well. Anthony had a vicious block, Shaan a steal, and Asher was literally everywhere - deflecting passes and closing out on Covenant's guards. The Badgers continued to fight despite a halftime deficit, and Asher's steal led to a 5-0 run that Shaan delivered on his own. First he went coast-to-coast on a lay up and then pulled up for a three to cut into the deficit.
 
In the second half of the doubleheader, Shaan blocked Covenant's first shot, and Sin converted a tough baseline reverse lay-up. The Badgers were up 5-0 after Sin was fouled in the process of shooting a three, and made all three foul shots.  
 
Amir showed off his quick hands, stealing the ball away from bigger defenders, and Sean scored twice late in the period. The team made a point of executing some tactical traps that Sam has worked hard to install, and Tandem trailed 11-9 after the first quarter. Covenant opened the second on a 6-0 run, but just like the Wakefield game, the Badgers responded. Amir hit a three from the wing, Shaan pushed the ball up the floor and found Quis in transition. Quis hit Sin as he cut to the basket, who got the hoop and the harm! Tandem trailed 17-22 at half time.
 
The Badgers started the third period with great defense, particularly with their 1-3-1 trapping zone which put their opponent into tough situations. Sin was able to cut the lead to three, fighting through contact and scoring in the paint. The team later got within 1 when Amir tipped the ball to himself for a key rebound and found Mason on the block for a key basket. Quis came alive late in the third - an and one on one possession and an easy bucket off a drive on the next!
 
The Badgers traded baskets but remained in the game, with a 34-30 deficit going into the final 8:00 minutes. Sin took a charge to start the 4th, positioning himself in the middle while he sacrificed his body - he got run over by his competition! The Badgers continued to fight throughout the 4th, but came up short in a tough battle. Sean finished with 20 pts, while Sin scored 12. 

Maya Has Four Blocks, Varsity Boys go to Overtime on the Road at Wakefield  - 1/24/25
With only six active players and two 8th graders in the starting line up, ghe Girls Varsity Badgers gave an extraordinary effort on the road against Wakefield. Juli has been working hard on boxing out, and it paid off! She had several rebounds and also found a way to get open in the paint, providing an outlet for Annie. Just two days ago, Annie was dominating at the middle school level, scoring ten points and taking the ball to the basket. Today, against girls four years her senior, Annie played with no fear - handling the ball with both hands and setting up her teammates including Catriona who got off some smooth shots today!
 
Defensively, Sophie had a number of deflections and rebounds. She also forced a number of jump balls, wrestling with the competition. If they somehow got around Sophie, they ran into Maya - who finished the game with five ferocious blocks! This Badger squad was missing several key players and taking on a tough opponent on the road, but they never quit, fighting for all 32 minutes. 
 
Tandem Boys Varsity and Wakefield went to overtime back in December, so it was only fitting that tonight's game was a close, back and forth battle. Sin got the scoring going early with a big three and a reverse lay up on the baseline, giving the Badgers a 5-0 edge. After Wakefield responded with a three of their own, Amir got hot from deep, and Tandem was ahead 8-3!
 
Sin had a massive first quarter - he scored from downtown, in the paint, off the dribble and with a beautiful catch and shoot game. The Badgers led 13-6 before Wakefield put in a big run to end the quarter. Tre'Sean changed the momentum late in the period. As the clock wound down, Quis swung the ball to Tre'Sean in the corner and he launched a big time three at the buzzer! The Badgers trailed by 2 after the first.
 
Wakefield had another run to start the second quarter, scoring the first six points of the period, and leading 27-19. Tandem stayed focused - Quis took his defender off the dribble with a quick first step and scored at the rim. He drew a foul, made the free throw, and then Sin knocked in a deep three on the next possession.  Blink and you missed it - the Badgers cut the lead to two!
 
With Sin knocking the ball away from Wakefield and going the length of the floor, Tandem cut the score to 35-34 at halftime. By this point, the team had already withstood two eight point deficits, staying confident and in the moment - a next play mentality - and finding a way to rally in both cases.
 
In the second half, Sean was dominant. He caught the ball in traffic, drew a foul and scored - and then had another bucket on the next possession. Seeking to change the momentum, Derion went to the scorers table for the first time. He was smooth against the zone, handling the ball with ease and picking his spots. Derion got open on the wing and bang - the Badgers took their first lead since 2:00 in the opening quarter, 42-41!   Wakefield finished the period on a run, and Tandem trailed by 6 going into the fourth.
 
The Badgers continued to chip away at the Wakefield lead. With Shaan's excellent interior defense, Tandem was able to turn defense into offense. Mason found Sean for a bucket inside and Quis for a transition drive, and the Badgers tied the game with a deep Amir three! Wakefield called timeout with the game tied at 50-50. Tandem would simply not go away!
 
Tandem took the lead moments later. Quis curled off a down screen, caught the ball on the elbow and dumped it to Sean - who withstood a lot of contact (as he did throughout the game) and hit an easy shot off the backboard. Sin earned a key rebound and was fouled with the team in the bonus. He made both. The Badgers took a two point lead.
 
On their next possession, Wakefield's center fired a three. There was only 1:30 to go in the game, and Wakefield was back ahead again. Tandem's next possession was patient, and Amir got in the middle to take a one point lead on a floater from 6 feet out. After holding Wakefield to a difficult contested corner three, Sean got the rebound, found Sin, and he was fouled. Sin made both, the Badgers led 58-55.
 
Wakefield took the inbounds pass and shot down the court, hitting an unlikely game tying three and sending the game into overtime for the second time in as many contests. Tandem won the tip during the extra period and got contributions from several players but came up short in the end.
 
The Badgers showed excellent resolve - on three different occasions, Tandem was down at least 6 points, and each time they battled back and put themselves in a position to win. They did not turn the ball over against the Wakefield 1-3-1 trapping three quarter court zone, working together and playing with patience. The Badgers remain in the mix for a top seed going into the GPAC tournament, and gained valuable experience and perspective from tonight's game. I was very proud of their effort - they stayed together, battled and are well positioned for a solid postseason run. The best is yet to come!
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Tandem Friends School is a co-ed Quaker day school for grades 5-12 in Charlottesville, Virginia.
 
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