Alex West: The rising dragon of HSMSE

Alex West has shown her potential this season as a junior for the High School For Math Science and Engineering’s girls' basketball team. Her impact on the team as a leader and valuable scorer played a large role throughout the season and in the playoffs. 

In the 2015-2016 season, West averaged only six points per game. She looked to her team for inspiration for the next season, specifically coach David Scheiman and team captain Annabelle Shultz.

“Mostly Annabelle and Scheiman [have helped me improve] because they knew I had the potential and I have finally been achieving what they always thought I could do,” West said.

West showed great improvement this season as she averaged 14 points per game and led the division in assists. The Lady Dragons finished the season 10-1 and faced Eleanor Roosevelt in their first playoff game, where they suffered a heartbreaking 50-45 loss. West performed well in the playoff contest, scoring 16 points and making key defensive stops.

She attributed their playoff appearance to the strength of the entire team. The team's chemistry improved as the season went along.

“This year we [were] more of a team even [when] we lost," she said. "We are bonded closer together. Scheiman has focused more on the technique behind our shooting and layups, so we have become more consistent and we have had better practice of this.”

Scheiman described technical improvements in West’s play that has raised her confidence on the court. As her role in the offense has grown, so has her output.

“Her dribbling, her shooting, and her on and off-court leadership [has improved], she has been very vocal on and off the court," Scheiman said. "She’s starting to come into her own and feels a lot more confident dribbling and shooting this year.”

As a coach, Scheiman saw potential and growth in West both on and off the court. Since freshman year he was impressed by her athleticism and fierce determination.

“On the court she’s a leader," he said. "She’s a fierce competitor and a lot of the other players will follow her on that effect. Off the court, she is the leader amongst her grade and people look up to her. So pretty much, for Alex for next year the girls [will] look up to her, so if she leads the way they will follow her."

West will be looking forward to playing her last season with the Lady Dragons next year. Scheiman has high expectations for her next season as a leader both on and off the court, as well emerging as a top player in the league with Shultz’s departure.

“I would like to see her anywhere from a 15 to 20 point scorer," Scheiman said. "I would like to see her averaging five rebounds per game. I think she can be a top player in the league, she’s very good in basketball and she can do that next year.”

Although she suffered a crushing loss in the playoffs after improving immensely, West held her head high in hopes of winning it all next year.

“We’ll practice harder, play harder, and I’ll do my best to lead the team,” she said.

Another successful season for the HSMSE girls' softball team

Girls softball team / H. Hamade

The 2015 spring softball season for the HSMSE Dragons was arguably their best season yet. The Dragons went 13-1 this season which earned them the top seed in the Manhattan B Division.

For just the second time in the history of HSMSE athletics, a team was the number one seed in the playoffs, the first for the softball team. After having a fantastic season in 2014, the softball team came into the 2015 season with high expectations. There were a some doubts when a few seniors left, but when new players filled the void, the team regained their confidence for the season.

“Achieving the number one seed was a great accomplishment,” said coach Crystal Downey in an interview on May 29. “From the start of the season we knew it was going to be a success, so we didn’t let it get to our heads. … We had some new additions to the team so the team was definitely stronger than last season [2014].”

A handful of players were the keys to the Dragons' success in 2015. These players were captains Taylor Faulds and Hillary Rodriguez, as well as freshman Alex West. This trio was vital to the team's success because they provided consistent defense and were always driving in runs for the team. Faulds hit .450, West hit .514, and Rodriguez hit .574. Having a core like these three is the difference between the strong teams and the weaker teams in Manhattan B Division.

“We had a few girls leave, but we had some new additions to the team,” Downey said. “The team was definitely better than it was last year. We played a few challenging teams that we beat, so once we beat them we knew that we were going to be ahead of the game."

HSMSE Lady Dragons win PSAL Class B girls’ soccer championship

HSMSE Girls' soccer team - Evgeni Dobranov

The High School for Math, Science, and Engineering girls’ soccer team won the PSAL Girls' B Soccer championship 3-1 in a penalty shootout against Julia Richman on Sunday, November 9th. The teams were tied 1-1 at the end of overtime on Randall’s Island Field 10. This tight victory marks HSMSE’s first ever citywide varsity championship.

From the first whistle, the Lady Dragons played aggressive, but couldn't maintain solid control. In the first four minutes, Richman had two corners and forced a save on sophomore goalkeeper Annabelle Shultz.

 “I definitely felt more pressure [over last game],” Shultz said. “Last game, after we scored the first goal, we were so set that we were going to win and kept scoring more and more. In this, we were 1-0 almost the entire game.”

The game soon changed direction when sophomore midfielder Hillary Rodriguez assisted sophomore forward Jacqueline Hall in the seventh minute.

Things got really awkward for the Lady Dragons at the start of the second half. Both senior defender Sahar Saedi and freshman midfielder Alex West were shown yellow cards on consecutive plays. West received her yellow for a delay of game right as Saedi was returning to the field after the action died. On the ensuring play, Saedi received a yellow card for a rough foul.

“[The delay] was because Sahar came back and she was supposed to take the goal kick,” West said. “My foot hurt and so I couldn't kick it that far, and I didn't want them to get the ball and score. I was trying to get away from the ball.”

The nail biting game was the greatest challenge for the Lady Dragons all season. Richman’s 52nd minute equalizer was the first time the Lady Dragons were tied this year. The girls weren’t fazed by this new challenge, as the Dragons fought hard to win the game until the final whistle. With one minute left, Hall found herself past Richman’s goalkeeper with the ball, but two defenders were waiting on goal. Hall’s shot deflected off a defender and hit the post, giving the Lady Dragons the last corner before overtime.

The two teams, weary from 80 minutes of regulation play, faced another 20 minutes of overtime to determine who would win the championship. Both teams teetered on the brink of scoring during the overtime period; however, Shultz managed two great saves to keep the Lady Dragons in the game.

co-captains Yael Saiger and Galit Wiener with Zafonte -  Batya Wiener

The first penalty taker was West, who upon scoring, quickly put on gloves to be the stand-in goalkeeper. To the average spectator, this came as a surprise, but coach Regina Zafonte made the team practice penalties on West during the post-season. West never saved any official penalties, but was mere inches away from stopping Richman’s first. Hall and junior midfielder Taieesa Peshkovsky scored the next two while Richman missed their remaining chances.

“I knew that Alex has been trained to do this and I was so confident in her,” Schultz said.

The undefeated season ended in a deserving championship for the Lady Dragons. According to tradition, the champions will be brought up to A-Division. It will be interesting to see how the team takes on the tough challenge next season. The current seniors are the only players to have experienced the A-Division before the team was dropped to the A-Division in the 2012-2013 season. For now, the only certainty is that the champions have much to be proud of.

“It’s the most amazing experience," said Zafonte. "I’m just happy that all this hard work for the past two months culminated in success and the better team did win today. It feels amazing.”

HSMSE Lady Dragons reach PSAL Class B girls' soccer playoff finals

HSMSE girls' soccer team - Lisa Gordis

The High School for Math, Science and Engineering girls’ soccer team won 6-1 in their 2014 PSAL Class B semi-final match against Herbert H. Lehman High School on November 11, 2014.  Their victory sets up a final match against Julia Richman Educational Campus at 10AM on Sunday November 9th at Randall's Island Field 10. The game will be broadcasted live online via the NFHS Network.

The Dragons comfortable win was a result of a combination of constant hustle, an aggressive mindset, and their experience in the playoffs.

“This is the best team we've ever had at MSE,” said coach Regina Zafonte. “They know how to channel their nerves into positive energy and do amazing things. These guys are now experienced playoff players and can handle the pressure.”

Freshman midfielder Alex West was seemingly everywhere on the pitch. West controlled the midfield with her aggressiveness and superb ball handling. When given the opportunity, West took shots from outside of the box, resulting in two spectacular goals. Despite her tremendous impact on both the game and the season, West remained humble in victory.

"Being aggressive, man marking their best player, and getting the step ahead by scoring the first two goals in the start [won us the match]," said West.

Another player who embodied the team’s hustle mentality was junior forward Galit Wiener. All three of her goals in the game came after sprinting for either crosses or deflections off of Lehman’s goalkeeper.

"We all came out determined," said Wiener. "We've been to the playoffs before and have been let down. We knew it could happen again and we've come so far already, so we wanted to give it our best. Everyone played 100%."

The Lady Dragons’ back line was just as impressive as their offense. The defense didn't even give Lehman a shot on goal for the first 30 minutes of the game. In fact, the most pressure sophomore goalkeeper Annabelle Shultz faced were from five corners that were easily cleared due to the great defending. The only slip up was a late goal, but the Lady Dragons were already up 6-0 at that point.

“Our defense was impenetrable," said Zafonte. “They were first to the ball and didn't allow anybody to get by them.”

The team's push to the finals has been a result of both quality leadership and great team chemistry. If the continue to play with the same sense of urgency and aggressiveness in the final, the team could bring HSMSE its first citywide varsity championship in school history.

"We have very good chances [in the final]," said West. "We're very good together working as a team and we're good at stepping up to the challenge."