A special senior night

HSMSE boys' varsity basketball / D. Islam

The long awaited dynamic duo

Both of the High School for Math, Science, and Engineering boys’ and girls’ varsity basketball teams played in a doubleheader on February 4th at City College of New York’s gym. The highlight was watching senior forward Lameek White and sophomore forward Eric Abreu play together for the first time in the season. Abreu and White’s skills complimented each other well in the Dragons’ 52-45 win against Manhattan Village Academy.

“When I was out, there was a lot of things that [White] did that I couldn't do,” Abreu said. “The same thing when I came back [and he was out]. We put the puzzle together.”

Another key for the Dragons’ victory was their high intensity from the tip-off. Their energy gave them an 18-8 lead by the end of the first quarter. Both White and senior center Alex Long scored almost double their respective season averages.

“It’s the last home game of the season, [we] had to go out with a ‘W’,” White said.

Lady Dragons improve over previous match-up

The match-up between the Lady Dragons and Chelsea Career and Technical Education was the second of their season. After a 35-26 loss on their January 1st game, the Lady Dragons were determined to show their improvement.

HSMSE girls' varsity basketball team / D. Islam

The team lost their second game against Chelsea 41-35, but despite the loss, there was a silver lining. Though an early full-court press by Chelsea hurt the Lady Dragons, things turned around by the third quarter. The team began to maneuver around Chelsea’s defense while executing their own full-court press with success.

“At first we weren't playing our hardest,” sophomore guard Annabelle Shultz said, “but we always come back in the second half.”

Sophomore guard Hillary Rodriguez played a large role in the game with many steals leading to easy fast-break points. The key for Rodriguez was her great positioning as she played one of her best game this season. Her hustle reflected a team-wide improvement in the second half.

“[The team had] a lot more hustle and nose for the ball,” head coach David Scheiman said. “Being in the right place and the right time was the main thing.”