Will the 2015 season shine for HSMSE softball?

The High School for Math, Science and Engineering Dragons softball team is facing several challenges in the 2015 spring season in Manhattan's B-IV Division. With an injured captain, the graduation of four seniors, and a possible shortage of players, the team is looking to work harder to continue their success from previous seasons.

Coach Crystal Downey / HSMSE Sports

The softball team had a strong season in 2014 with a division-leading 10-2 record. Coach Crystal Downey credits that the team has made good progress since starting in the developmental league.

“The team has been successful for the past three years, and we will carry on with that success,” she said.

In the upcoming season the softball team will be without four of last year’s seniors who played key roles in their past accomplishments, especially shortstop Donna Fintzi who had 29 hits and two home runs last season. Downey is confident that her team can overcome this obstacle.

“Last year’s seniors definitely helped us out,” said Downey. “So I definitely think it’s going to have an impact, but we’ll just have to work harder.”

The team’s second baseman and captain, Anya Batista, will be sidelined indefinitely for the upcoming season. A knee injury suffered in the fall will prevent her from playing; however, Downey believes in the girls’ sense of teamwork.

“Her injury will also have an impact since we have another girl down,” she said. “However our girls tend to work harder under pressure, and when they’re in situations that the team has to build together, the team is usually more successful.”

With the imbalance of male and female students at HSMSE, there is a possibility of not having enough players for a safety buffer. A softball team must have at least nine players on the team, and with five less players to start the season, the team needs enough new players to fill up the roster. Despite only 10 players returning, Downey is not concerned, and is sure that they will have a sufficient amount of new players.

“I am confident that we will have enough girls coming out for the team so that won’t be a situation for us,” she said. “We have strong girls coming on the team for the first time so I think we’ll be okay.”

Written by Muhammad Abid Hasan & Mohammed Kabir

A u-turn for HSMSE girls’ basketball

HSMSE Girls Basketball Team / M. Galeano

The High School for Math Science & Engineering girls’ basketball team went 7-9 in the 2013-14 season, a huge improvement from their 0-18 season last year. The rise was due to the addition of freshman Annabelle Shultz, as well as the excellent play from senior shooting guard Donna Fintzi. 

Shultz, the rookie point guard, scored 15 points per game, taking pressure off of Fintzi who has been the team’s scoring leader since her sophomore year. 

“We would always try to get the ball to Donna,” Shultz said. “[She] would hit three pointers and I would always crash the boards and try to get foul shots up.” 

The new head coach Jeremy Bassie helped the team on and off the court. Bassie successfully coached the Girls Jr. Varsity team at Bronx Science from 2007-12. His past experience as a coach helped the girls turn their season around.

“He was a really good coach,” Shultz said. “He knew what to do and was very confident in what he did. He would always make us laugh and make us have a good time playing."

Next year, without senior co-captains Fintzi and Mikaela Bloch, who combined for more than 20 points per game, others will have to score. Despite their trouble, the Dragons are determined to try and improve their record for next season. 

Annabelle Shultz / Din Islam

It’s going to be a learning process for most of the team and me also, but everyone is going to have to step up,” Shultz said.

The Dragons will have to look towards freshman next year to help fill the vacancies left by the seniors. The team relied on the seniors for a large portion of their scoring but now they will have to change their game to make up for the disadvantage.

Saying goodbye to their departing captains, the Dragons will continue to work towards making the playoffs. It will be a rebuilding process, but this season was definitely a triumph for the girls’ basketball team.

By: Willy Herman and Henry Schoenfeld

The beginning of the future for HSMSE basketball

Annabelle Shultz shooting a free throw / Din Islam

Both the High School for Math, Science, and Engineering boys’ and girls’ basketball teams are beginning the start of what appears to be successful futures. The Lady Dragons’ are now 5-5 as of this writing, piling up more wins than their previous three seasons combined. Meanwhile, the 1-8 record of the young boys' team, so far unfairly represents a well developing unit that contains only two upperclassmen.

The key to the great turnaround season for the Lady Dragons’ so far is freshman guard Annabelle Shultz.

“Everything starts with her," said head coach Jeremy Bassie. "She brings the ball coast to coast and finds Donna Fintzi for threes, and goes to the foul line and rebounds. We are very lucky to have her in the program."

Her presence creates a big three for the team similar to that of the Miami Heat. Fintzi and senior forward Mikaela Bloch no longer need to take control of every possession and instead can work more off the ball.

“We have a few freshmen who are more highly skilled than in years past which has allowed for Donna [Fintzi] not to have as much responsibility handling the ball so she can be more set up to shoot, instead of always having to shoot off the dribble and run around to so much. I think that has allowed her to really show off her shot a bit more because she doesn’t have to handle the ball as often,” said co-coach Nick Diunte.

For the boys' team, this season has showcased the vast improvement of a developing team. The team opted to go for a younger squad this year in order to develop players to replace the play of 1,000 point-scorer Kavan Edwards. Their game against Chelsea Career and Technical Education on January 9th, 2014 demonstrated this transition perfectly. Unlike their opening game of the season where senior guard Kofi Kordie was responsible for nearly all the points, the scoring was distributed well among the underclassmen.

“I think we've improved a lot of the whole year,” said coach David Scheiman. “We've improved so much, we’re competitive now. I honestly think that in two years we might have a shot at winning the division.”

It is crucial for for the Lady Dragons to replace the talent of Fintzi and Bloch if they want to continue their success. With Shultz already providing great talent in only her first year, already improving underclassmen may easily increase their contributions next season.

For the boys' squad, it is clear that they have a growing team which will only improve over time. The whole team, sparing the two seniors, have at least another two seasons together before graduation. This large amount of time that the team will be together, almost surely guarantees they will see an improvement over the next few years.

Video footage below of HSMSE boys' basketball team first victory of the season against Manhattan Village Academy on January 11, 2014.

Leading the Lady Dragons

Donna Fintzi / Thomas Henning

Despite the High School for Math Science and Engineering girls basketball teams’ losing record, their junior point guard Donna Fintzi has demonstrated the necessary ability to lead the team. During this 2012-2013 season, she scored a consistent 5.8 points per game, earning her the title of leading scorer. While this season may not have been the best for HSMSE, there is still another year for Fintzi to improve and truly carry the team to more wins.

One athlete can only do so much to pick up their team’s record. With the help of junior forward Mikaela Bloch, these two are able to provide a strong presence on the court. Leading the team in rebounds, Bloch showed pride in her ability to secure the ball both offensively and defensively. “I think I was a good contributor [to] help us get back the ball.“

The duo demonstrated what they were really capable of in the Lady Dragons’ November 29th game against Bread and Roses High School. Fintzi put up 15 points while Bloch managed to contribute another seven. In addition to this outstanding performance, both athletes also managed to grab five rebounds. “We [just] know where we can pass to each other,” Bloch explained about her chemistry with Fintzi. Despite the relentless efforts of the Lady Dragons to obtain an early lead, Bread and Roses High School came back in the fourth quarter with the win. “We played really hard,” Fintzi said. “We only lost by three or four, [and] I just played my hardest.”

Toughing out a winless season, Coach Nick Diunte emphasized the importance of both Fintzi and Bloch's role on the court. By being what may be the best duo on the Lady Dragons, Fintzi and Bloch have taken the role and the pressure of leading the team. “Donna has a lot of responsibility as a point guard,” Diunte said. “Usually she has the responsibility to defend the other team’s best ball handler [and] Mikaela has to rebound against folks much bigger than her as well as contributing offensively.”

Fintzi played a huge role off the court as well by assisting the younger members on the team. “I think in practice she works hard helps to encourage the other players and the team.” Diunte explained. “She is more quick to give pointers to the newer players on the team without me asking her to do so.”

Despite the sluggish development of the Lady Dragons, Fintzi is confident in their abilities. “[We have to] be more fluid with our plays. I think everyone can just improve generally.” Despite the team’s disappointment in their record, they are determined to grab more wins for HSMSE next year.

Contributed by Alex Long and Velid Mulic

Air ball for the HSMSE girls' basketball team

HSMSE girls' team vs the Institue for Collaborative Education
photo form Tom Henning

This season for the girls’ basketball team at the High School for Math Science and Engineering was their worst year ever, with a 1-15 record. The team now needs to step it up and earn back their pride and glory.

The main reason for the bad record is the inexperience of the players. Sophomore forward,  Mikaela Bloch, describes some of the inexperience problem as, “Not looking at the basket when making the shot.” As these fresh members move in, the experienced players graduate. Donna Fintzi, the team’s leading scorer, seems to have most of the pressure on her after five seniors graduated last year and four graduating this year.

However, there were signs of improvement as the season unfolded. For instance, their two games with  Manhattan Village Academy, the HSMSE girls lost by a score of 55-6. During their second game together, the HSMSE girls moved closer to a victory with a score of 45-16.

The second game against Manhattan Village Academy show large improvements made by their members. They showed improvement both offensively and defensively in the second game.

This season is too late for a comeback, but next season is uncertain. A frustrated Fintzi sees the team having difficulties next season with the loss of four players. However, from these steady improvements, the team may rise to one of the best in the B-division.

Dragons come up short, but have reason to not hang their heads

Courtesy of Tom Henning

The HSMSE Dragons were a team that desperately needed a win Friday after dropping their first three games of the season. However in a gritty battle between HSMSE and ICE, the desperate win did not come.

An early problem for the HSMSE Dragons were that they were not passing the ball well in the 1st half which led to many turnovers. Larissa Wormsby, a senior for ICE, intercepted a pass during the second period and drove for a layup extending the lead for ICE. There also seemed to be a lot of miscommunication for the Dragons. One girl would constantly pass one way while the other girl would be running another. It looked like some sloppy basketball in the first half, putting the Dragons in an early 15-6 hole.

However the 2nd half looked like a bit of a re-energized offense and a hope for the future. Despite being completely outscored in the first half, the Dragons were only outscored by four in the 2nd half. Passing between the HSMSE Dragon offense was much more consistent and in the third period, the Dragons erupted for a total of eight points despite Donna Fintzi, a sophmore and one of the top HSMSE Dragon scorers, being double covered for the beginning of the half. Sophomore Mikaela Bloch, sunk a nice bank shot three pointer right before the sound of the buzzer to make it 25-11 at the end of third period. The Dragon offense would not show anymore fight after that, and despite signs of good effort and good passing, the Dragons were outscored in every period.

“We have had a lot of opportunities and we need to get the ball in the net,” said Donna Fintzi when spoken too after the game. Indeed, the Dragons missed a number of shots that they should have made. However they still set a record this year on offense scoring 16 points and it was mainly because of the improvement of the passing in the second half.

The Dragons defense played pretty well all game and did not allow ICE to get open shots. “I think the [defense] was able to stop a lot more shots [this game],” said coach Diunte. The defense made ICE earn the win and forced ICE to spread the ball around the court.

With a tough loss, the Dragons can at least reflect on some improved defense, but for the most part, the offense needs to be consistent for the entire game if the Dragons are going to win.

-contributed by Geoffrey Nathan

The Dragons lose with pride, but have high hopes for the future

Courtesy of Tom Henning

Although the HSMSE Girls Varsity Basketball team lost to the Institute for Collaborative Education on Friday December 9th, 2011 by 13 points, they had an improvement in their offense. They also had indicators of what needed to be done to go forward and achieve more wins.

Normally, 16 points would be a low score in basketball, but it is a good sign for the Dragons. In their previous two games, they only had six points each game and a combined total of six offensive rebounds. "I think it's a great improvement. I see a lot of us trying harder now and being more focused and putting in more energy and taking time to see what's happening," said Leah Cabrera. They made more shots with the opportunities that they had, including two three-pointers that helped boost their offense.

The game also gave some hints on what to improve in the future. There was only two offensive rebounds, which obviously will not get them far. "A shot goes off and some people are just kinda watching the person shooting, which is typical of high school basketball, but I think it's a problem," said Nick Diunte, the coach of the Dragons. They also need to improve their passing game if they want to continue to improve. Their weak passing game has caused turnovers and has resulted in the ball being easily intercepted. "I feel like we just have to get stronger and more accurate passes and that'll help get the game flowing better," said Donna Fintzi.

Despite their loss, they have made vital improvements and now know what they need to do to progress further. The loss will also not have an impression on their future games. Donna said, "We're improving ... I think we tried our hardest."

Female dragons break a season record

Courtesy of Tom Henning

The High School for Math, Science and Engineering Girls Varsity Basketball team achieved their highest points scored in a game this season in a 29-16 loss to Institute for Collaborative Education on December 9th, 2011.

One of the biggest problems for the Dragons was their passing. The Dragons would usually either overpower a pass or misinterpret a player’s path when passing to each other. Many fast breaks for the Dragons were ended by these little errors. “I feel that next practice we are probably going to take a step back and focus on like the mechanics of the pass a little bit more and then add passing under pressure a bit,” said head coach Nick Diunte.

With a close score near the end of the first quarter, ICE began a full court press. The press proved troubling for the Dragons as ICE began to cause several turn overs near the rim. To make up for these turn overs, the Dragons double teamed the ICE players, but the fast breaks sometimes proved too quick for this. Once the clock finally finished its countdown, the Dragons saw themselves down 8-2.

ICE went through the second quarter causing many fouls, but the Dragons only managed to score two out of seven of the free throws, one of which was to convert a three point play. The problem with this is that those were the only points the Dragons could get during the quarter which ended 15-6.

The third quarter was the most productive quarter for the Dragons. Not only did the defense stop ICE from scoring for more than four minutes, but the Dragons’ offense erupted. After having been double teamed for a while, Fintzi scored an impressive three pointer four minutes into the quarter to send the crowd cheering.

The Dragons continued to score and even managed to put up more points in the quarter than they had in their past two games. This was only accomplished when Mikaela Bloch connected with a three point shot at the buzzer to bring the score to 25-14.

With the Dragons finally getting used to the ICE offense, other than limiting ICE to only four points for the fourth quarter, the Dragons also managed to finally gain an offensive rebound with four minutes left in the game.

A playoff run is out of the question, but Leah Cabrera, HSMSE’s captain, looked at this game as a good sign. “I think it's a great improvement. I see a lot of us trying harder now and being more focused and putting in more energy and taking time to see what's happening.”