This Week in Sports - Week #25

There were two big games on Tuesday night! Our varsity girls played a great last game of the season against St. Michael's and honored seniors Tess and Emma. The varsity boys team then took on Wakefield in the GPAC tourney semifinals, beating them 58-51 to advance to the finals. Read about those games below in detail - check out a video of Senior Night for the girls here. Check out a video montage from the boys game shared on Instagram by friend of Tandem Boo Agee. 

The Badger varsity boys basketball journey continues this evening at 5:30pm when our Badgers will host the GPAC Conference Championships in the Badger Den. The fan dress theme is Tandem gear so put on your green and head to the gym. Please join us for what promises to be an unforgettable night of basketball for this magical team! Pack the Den! 

Varsity Boys Basketball - 2/18/25
 
For two long hours, nobody said a word. The drive home from The Plains, Virginia is a long and painful one after a loss. While the Badgers had won in overtime against Wakefield at home in December, the January overtime loss on the road was devastating. The Badgers were up three with five seconds to go in regulation, Wakefield made a deep three, and Tandem lost in the extra period. The team ambled into the locker room, angry and frustrated. It was a long, quiet ride home. 
 
That team and this team - the PLAYOFF BADGERS - are not the same. Tandem Varsity Boys Basketball has come together as a team and as a result, they have dominated GPAC play. Following that game at Wakefield, the team won at home against Quantico (Seamus, Anthony, Tre and Mason all had multiple baskets, and Derion had 14!). Then they won again the next day at home against King Abdullah Academy 59-50. The following week, they had road wins at Fredericksburg Academy (62-50) and Quantico (59-40), and of course the dominant Senior Night win over #1 seeded RMA 72-51.
 
Today was not a school day, but that did not stop the Tandem community from creating an excellent home court advantage this evening! Thank you so much for bringing the energy that makes this school so special. The players fed off of it - Sin had that look in his eyes tonight. He did not have to watch his first shot go through the basket - he knew. The Badgers scored first and led 3-0, but Wakefield matched on their next possession with a three of their own. Defensively, Wakefield's entire game plan was to double-team Sean and force other players to shoot. Amir was happy to oblige. Picking up right where he left off on Senior Night, Amir had eight in the first quarter. First, he split the top of the zone and came to a jump stop five feet from the basket - pushing a floater just over the front of the rim. Moments later, after Shaan got one of his nine rebounds on the night, Amir took the ball to the basket, right down the middle of the lane. He drew the contact but played right through it, cashing in for an old fashioned three-point play.  Wakefield adjusted their defense by giving Amir space once he caught the ball. Turns out he's a walking bucket from the outside, too! Amir took one look at the defender and let the orange fly - like Sin, he didn't watch it go in.  Instead, he turned to the crowd and let out a roar - the Badgers earned a convincing 12-5 lead early in the game!
Tandem led 18-13 after the first period, and came out in a full court press to start the second. Wakefield was obviously not prepared for this - they turned the ball over on a number of occasions. Quis got going from three-point land, and Sean got to work in the paint. It's his house, afterall. Sean had seven of his seventeen in the quarter, earned four trips to the line, and positioned himself to have yet another double-double (at least ten points and ten rebounds). Sean had 17 and 14 tonight. Wakefield managed only five points in the quarter, Derion hit a deep three, and the Badgers outscored them SIXTEEN TO FIVE in the period. Taking a 33-18 lead into the break, Tandem showed their experience and poise down the stretch.  
 
At the start of the third quarter, Amir and Sin combined to trap a Wakefield guard right in front of our student section. Wakefield called timeout - they really didn't have any other options. While Wakefield did make a run and eventually cut it to 6, Sin proved to be the run stopper - he got in the paint for a series of very difficult lay-ups, finishing with 15 points for the game. On another occasion, Amir set his feet and took a critical charge - sacrificing his body for the good of the cause. As time wound off the period, Sin did his best Jalen Hurts impression - throwing a deep touchdown pass to Sean on the other end! The Badgers led 39-24 at that point.
 
In the final period, Sean hit a big jumper and then found Quis driving to the rim. Wakefield made three shots from downtown in the final stanza, and they tried several different defensive formations, but the Badgers broke the press effectively. The team stayed composed even when Wakefield committed all five of their team fouls in a 50-second period. Tandem was efficient at the foul line (Sean shot 7/9), Mason came in for rebounding, and this 24-25 Tandem Varsity Boys Basketball did it again! The team improved their GPAC conference record to 9-2, and advanced to the Championship Game, winning 58-51!
 
Shortly after the celebration, I went to meet with the players. "#1 seeded RMA will host the finals tomorrow at 4:00," I told them. They were not excited to travel up to Front Royal and for good reason. Then my phone buzzed again with the following news: #1 RMA lost to #4 King Abdullah Academy! As a result, the championship game will run through Tandem!! As Amir once said "we home with it!!"
 
The journey continues on Friday at 5:30pm when the Tandem Badgers will host the GPAC Conference Championships in the Badger Den. I defer the theme to Lili, but I want that place to be absolutely BANANAS! Please mark your calendar and join us for what promises to be an unforgettable night of basketball for this magical team! Pack the Den! Special thanks to Cullen, Lili and Jocelyn for their hard work at the scorers table, and a hearty congratulations to Coaches Sam, Denzel and Mary - what a big time win!
 
Girls Varsity Basketball - 2/18/25

A season ago, the Varsity Girls Basketball team took the court with an enthusiastic group of 9th graders. Taking on more experienced competition, the Badgers gave it their absolute best every night, inspiring Coaches Reggie and Stan to practice with the team in the spring - refining their skills and coming into this season with a different sense of purpose. The Badgers returned Sophomores Catriona, Maya, Ginger, Elisabeth, Juli and Madeline. A new Sophomore, Victoria joined the team this season, giving the Badgers an edge in the front court, while Emma and Tessa, both Seniors, gave the team a veteran presence they had been lacking. Add the mid-season additions of Annie and Sophie - well, you have a recipe for success!
 
As Coaches Reggie and Stan told their team after the game, "we doubled our win total from last season!"  True enough - the team won exciting games at Stuart Hall (Tessa had 26) and at Saint Michael's (Maya had 20!). More than that, the team came together and continued to improve throughout the season. Tonight, in their final home game of the season, the Badgers played outstanding team basketball. Defensively, Tandem came out in a box and one, and Lucy was locked on St Michael's talented point guard. Working closely with Tessa, she did not allow her to catch the ball or take any easy shots. Offensively, the Badgers came out with some hot shooting this afternoon - Annie got to the basket on more than one occasion in the opening quarter, and Tessa knocked in a big time three from the top of the key! Juli took the ball hard to the basket, drew a foul, and Tandem led 8-4 after the first period.
 
To start the second period, Annie wasted no time. She launched a deep three all the way from Fluvanna - and it was money in the bank! Annie's shot gave Tandem additional momentum. She worked closely with Ginger, who set excellent screens, and Sophie, who had five rebounds and was always open as an outlet pass. While St. Michael's went on a run in the second period, Madeline was a defensive force - challenging opposing players to catch the ball far away from the basket. Tandem trailed 16-15 at the half. 
 
In the second half, Elisabeth was EVERYWHERE. She had seven steals, two blocks, earned four trips to the foul line, and scored three critical points. Additionally, Elisabeth was constantly in a good rebounding position or on the floor for a loose ball. Her contributions were enormous - and the Badgers rallied behind her energy. Tessa got loose for a layup, Juli attacked the rim, and the game was 28-26 with 4:00 to go. Every time St. Michael's began to pull away, Annie showed off another element of her game. She hit a mid-range jumper, a layup, and another three pointer - giving her a new career high of SEVENTEEN points on the day.  Hard to believe Annie is only an 8th Grader. Dear Central Virginia High School basketball - you better buckle up! Annie is coming!
 
While St. Michael's pulled away in the end, the Varsity Girls season will be measured by the extraordinary growth that they put forth this season. The team scored in double-digits nearly every game, won twice (and King Abdullah did cancel both games - just saying), worked incredibly hard in practice, dominated study hall, were outrageously fun on the bus rides and grew as a team and a basketball family. Congratulations to Coaches Reggie and Stan on a great season. Thank you so much to our Seniors - Tessa and Emma - what an enormous impact you have left on your younger teammates. Thank you to our managers this season - Ellia and Fletcher - and to Hayes - who ran the scoreboard this afternoon. It was certainly a season to be proud of. Well done, Badgers!
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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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