The HSMSE Girls Basketball Team Overcomes Injuries In A Historic Season

The HSMSE Girls basketball team made it to the first round of the 2020 PSAL “B” Division Playoffs after finishing second place in their division. The Dragons maintained a 9-3 record, all while losing two valuable players during the season.

The Dragons were a resilient team, so giving up was not an option. Losing players due to injury did not demoralize the team, in fact, it boosted team morale. They had to play harder in support of their sidelined teammates.

“It gave everyone an opportunity to step up and support their teammates,” coach David Scheiman said.

Before a pre-season scrimmage, starting center Nicole Ogen broke a finger during warm-ups. The Dragons lost another starter midway through the season when shooting guard Barbara Ceci broke her ankle during the first quarter of a league game. Less experienced players stepped up and helped the Dragons take victory.

“[The injuries] makes everyone work harder because everyone wants to come through for that person and win,” junior point guard Agnes Heffner said.

Following the injuries, sophomores Sandy Liang and Taylor Jeffrey filled starting positions, while freshmen Sherry Li and Lily Yan earned more playing time. The Dragons’ ability to deal with adversity sets them up for a strong upcoming season, as their younger players gained valuable experience that will help the team in the future.

- Siddhaarta Venkatesh also contributed to this story.

HSMSE Girls' Basketball Rising Star: Unni Isaksen

Nearly quadrupling a personal best is nothing but a jaw-dropper. HSMSE junior Unni Isaksen dramatically increased her offensive role this year for the girls’ basketball team.

Isaksen only averaged 3.5 points per game during her sophomore year. It was not until this season where she increased her output to a remarkable 11.4 ppg. HSMSE's girls' basketball coach David Scheiman noted her immense progress this year.

“Her skillset got better [and] her footwork got a lot better,” Scheiman said.“She knows how to hit lay-ups more consistently now, and she knows how to drive to the basket, not being afraid.”

Between her sophomore and junior year, Isaksen didn’t just improve her skills, but she also gained confidence on the court. However, Isaksen’s on-court actions were not the only contribution that caused the change, but a new motivation outside played into it as well.

“I think she understands how important she is to the team, and that she is getting the hang of what her role is,” he said.

Isaksen's ambition to enhance her skills and to devote herself to the game, combined with coach Scheiman’s recent practice changes created the perfect recipe for improvement. With Isaksen on the rise for her senior year, the future seems bright for the Dragons.

- Andy Jiang also contributed to this article.

HSMSE Falls To The Clinton School In The First Round Of The PSAL Girls' Basketball Playoffs

The HSMSE girls’ basketball team lost their first round playoff game 56-35, in an intense battle against the Clinton School at the Nat Holman Gymnasium on February 10, 2020.

Despite the lopsided final score, HSMSE cut the difference to only four points halfway through the third quarter. However, the Dragons’ comeback was cut short by injuries and foul trouble that stymied their star players.

“One of our main players got into foul trouble, and our point guard had a jammed finger,” coach David Scheiman said.

This forced Scheiman to put inexperienced players on the court who were no match for Clinton’s aggressive style of play. Clinton’s full-court press caused HSMSE to turn the ball over repeatedly, which exhausted the Dragons. Frustration from turning the ball over fueled unnecessary fouls.

“Unni [Isaksen] picked up her fourth foul and had to sit out the rest of the [third] quarter,” he said.

With their leading scorer on the bench, HSMSE could not match The Clinton School’s fast-paced offense. HSMSE rallied late in the fourth quarter, but ultimately could not close the gap caused by their earlier foul troubles.

“In the fourth quarter we put up a good fight,” said sophomore Taylor Jeffrey.

Rose Wladis led the Hawks with 23 points. Unni Isaksen had 10 for the Dragons in their losing effort.

Coach David Scheiman takes Lady Dragons to new heights

Coach David Scheiman has led the High School for Math Science and Engineering Lady Dragons basketball team to the playoffs in three consecutive seasons. In doing so, he has helped many players at the school develop their skills and their basketball mentality. Scheiman has been influential to these student athletes, both as a coach and teacher.

He became the head coach of the Lady Dragons in 2015, taking over a losing team with a 7-9 record. They have come a long way since, sporting a winning record in the three consecutive seasons and a playoff win. He expressed his hands-off approach when it comes to his role in the development of the team.

“I’m more of a player’s coach,” he said. “I kind of let the players dictate what they want to do. Of course I have control, but I think the important part is to give the players the ability to think on their own.”

This approach has been a proven winner, as their record keeps on improving and his players continue to look up to him. The relationship between Scheiman and his players was put on display during senior night when he awarded his graduating seniors with gifts to show his appreciation for them, including a ring for thousand point scorer Annabelle Shultz.

Annabelle Schultz receives ring from coach Scheiman on senior night / T. Henning

Over the past three years, Scheiman has experienced a tremendous amount of success as the head coach of the HSMSE girls basketball team. A great part of this success has been thanks to the play of Shultz, who in the 2015-2016 season was the leading scorer in the city; however, even with her absence next year, Scheiman is still confident for the team's future success.

“We have a core nucleus coming back and we’re only missing two starters and I think everybody will have to step up a little bit in the future,” he said.

He feels that the team's hard work will play a big role in the team’s success next season. He emphasized the importance of their practice routines during the offseason.

“If they take it seriously and really work hard, I think we can be very good next year and in playoff contention,” he said.

HSMSE Lady Dragons earn first girls' basketball playoff victory in school history

Lady Dragons after their victory / HSMSE Sports

The Lady Dragons of the High School for Math, Science and Engineering felt right at home Thursday evening in their first round PSAL B Division girls’ basketball playoff game at South Bronx Prep. The Lady Dragons were unaffected by the rabid supporters of South Bronx Prep en route to a 56-35 victory.

The Lady Dragons, who were forced to play as the home team on the road due to a scheduling conflict with City College, came out with a furious full court press that put them up 6-0 after the first two minutes of the game. It was a lead they would never relinquish.

“I think they were zoned in more than anything,” said head coach David Scheiman. “They were just emotionally ready.”

Prep’s Cougars cut the Lady Dragons lead to five points one minute into the fourth quarter, narrowing the score to 36-31; however, they couldn’t get any closer due to the relentless pressure of HSMSE’s defense. With five minutes left in the game, sophomore Hillary Rodriguez hit a three pointer, stole the ensuing inbounds pass, and immediately scored on a lay-up to put the Lady Dragons ahead 43-31. Her five-second, five-point barrage, effectively secured the first playoff win in the Manhattan school’s history.

Hillary Rodriguez / HSMSE Sports

Standing in the way of the Lady Dragons playoff run are the third-seeded Phoenix of Millennium High School. The Phoenix posted a regular season record of 15-1, easily conquering the Manhattan South Division. The two teams will face off on Thursday, February 26, 2015 at John Jay Campus’ Gym in Brooklyn.

With the spring break approaching, Coach Scheiman will let the team enjoy a much needed vacation before focusing their energies on Millennium.

“When they get back to school,” Scheiman said, “it’s time to hit the ground running in preparation.”

Team	1	2	3	4				Total
HS For Math, Science and Engineering @ CCNY	15	9	12	20				56
South Bronx Preparatory	9	8	12	6				35

HS For Math, Science and Engineering @ CCNY
Player	Asst	Rebounds O-T	Fg2	Fg3	Ftm-Fta	Points
ALEX WEST	6	2-4	4	1	2-5	13
ANNABELLE SHULTZ	3	10-21	11	0	4-13	26
ANYA MARCHANT	0	4-12	2	0	0-2	4
GALIT WIENER	0	2-6	1	0	0-0	2
HILLARY RODRIGUEZ	0	4-10	3	1	0-0	9
JADE ARDINEZ	0	1-1	1	0	0-0	2
Total	9	23-54	22	2	6-20	56

South Bronx Preparatory
Player	Asst	Rebounds O-T	Fg2	Fg3	Ftm-Fta	Points
ANGIE ORTIZ ERAZO	6	0-0	2	0	0-1	4
BIANCA MONTANEZ	0	0-0	0	0	0-0	0
DAWN FRANKLIN	1	12-27	4	0	0-0	8
DEBBY SILVA	0	0-0	0	0	0-0	0
DIAMOND FULLARD	0	0-4	1	0	0-0	2
IVANA MONTANO	0	5-5	0	0	0-0	0
KATERA ROBINSON	1	1-7	7	0	0-2	14
SKYLAR HAWKINS	0	0-0	0	0	0-0	0
TAYLOR HAWKINS	0	0-0	1	1	0-0	5
ZAHRA MEDINA	0	0-0	1	0	0-0	2
Total	8	18-43	16	1	0-3	35

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 Dragons anchor their teams

Kavan Edwards / T. Henning

No team is complete without veteran players. There’s always one player that is there to teach the newer players the basics, and someone who can take a double team and make a shot with seconds left in the fourth quarter. Leah Cabrera and Kavan Edwards are the essential anchors to their respective basketball teams at the High School for Math, Science and Engineering..

Leah Cabrera, senior co-captain of the HSMSE girls’ basketball team, has been a part of the team since her freshmen year of high school. She uses her experience to guide the younger players into organized basketball. Cabrera helped the newcomers understand and improve in the sport. When people think of team leaders they think of people like Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan, players that could make every basket when it counts. Cabrera is a social leader that helps the team come together even after disappointing losses. Even after those disappointing games what mattered was self-confidence, “[I was] making sure everyone was doing well,” said Cabrera.

The quality of leadership demonstrated in the HSMSE girls’ basketball team is also seen in the boys’ basketball team by their leading scorer Kavan Edwards. He is their captain; a senior who has played since his sophomore year. Throughout his high school basketball career, Edwards has been crucial to the team’s offense. He has averaged 19.8 ppg over the three years he played.

Leah Cabrera (Right) / K. Marlowe

This being the last season for both players, puts into question how the team’s performance will be in the following season. Both leaders have suggested that the current juniors can possibly keep their team together. It is up to the current juniors to step up and take leadership next season. “As a senior you have to let the under classmen know how serious the team is,” said Edwards.

Contributed By Sadeon Martin