As the Girls Varsity basketball season comes to an end, they reflect on how well they performed this year that resulted in a successful season.
Scott Marino, coach of the girls varsity basketball team, explained how the team had a lot of ups and downs. Despite that, they overcame a lot of adversity this year in which Marino stated “we grew up as a team,” and qualified for the state tournament in the last game of the year.
Though it was a great season, the team faced issues regarding trying to get a full team together and it was a struggle for the team for the last three weeks of the year. The team also had other challenges including “injuries, not having a lot of players active due to COVID, [having] different starting lineups throughout the whole year,” Marino said.
Senior Kimberly Vo had an injury this season, which was a struggle for her to catch up with the team. “I had to come out with my PCL torn,” she said, though that did not stop Vo from pushing herself and working hard. The team continued to push through and persevered where Vo continued on to say “if one person is down we always try to keep each other up.”
There were also learning curves when it came to the team this season because there were underclassmen playing varsity. Additionally, getting back from COVID has been an adjustment and some players were unfamiliar with offenses and switching defensive sets instantly, but this did not stop them from continuing to play harder.
Senior captain Yaz Alayan explained that it took her a while to step in and be in a leadership position because there comes challenges that are faced as a captain. Alayan went on to say, “I can’t be everyone’s friend… I have to be their captain.” She added that she sees a clear understanding of taking on that responsibility of holding her teammates accountable.
Senior Captain Yaz Alayan passing the ball to a teammate. 
Senior Captain Yaz Alayan getting ready to pass the ball. 
Senior Nevaeh Cherilus attempting to score over a Melrose player. 
Senior Nevaeh Cherilus performing a free throw. 
Senior Captain Yaz Alayan dribbling down the court. 
Senior Kimberly Vo running down the court. 
Senior Captain Yaz Alayan and Junior Nyandeng Yak guarding. 
The Girls Varsity team huddles during a timeout to talk about their strategy.
All photos by Ruka Truong.
Senior Neveah Cherilus, another captain of the team, made sure to keep her teammates consistent when it came to winning this year, and if not winning, ultimately making sure they kept up with practice. Cherilus highlighted how the team needed to “keep our heads up, focus on the game… we can’t let our feelings get the best of us.” She knew that if she had given up on the team then that would mean the team had given up on her, and made it her mission to not let that happen.
Cherilus feels proud of the team and how much they have accomplished. She emphasized that after four years of playing varsity, “this is the best we’ve done.” The team’s main focus is now on states and winning the first three rounds. It has been 25 years since the girls basketball team has made states at Malden High School. Alayan’s motto going into states is “all in, win it all.”
The team went through some challenges, though that did not stop them from trying to persevere and strive for achievement this season. However, the team did not hit their initial goal of winning the Greater Boston League (GBL). Marino would like the girls next year to “push themselves as hard as the girls this year and try to win the GBL”—moreover, to make sure that the team advances themselves so they do not have to worry about playing the last game of the season.
