Reva Upadhayay, Hannah Coggswell, Lauryne Jean Joseph, and Salah Bouam also contributed to this article
On January 30th, the Boys’ Basketball team took a loss against the Everett Tide with a final score of 75-40, dropping Malden’s record down to 1-13. Although it has been a rough season—given that they have lost players and former seniors—Malden entered the competition against Everett with an optimistic mindset. Even down 30 points, they still fought and gave the game their all.
Junior Colin Okoth, a power forward for the Tornados, stated that the game was “a battle,” during the first and second quarters and Everett had the team “mentally challenged.” He continued, stating that “after the first half, they came out and played more intensely than us.”
The two teams have a long history of rivalry; gyms are always filled to the brim with energized students. Vying for victory, the Malden boys pushed as hard as they could through the game. “I think we didn’t come out as strong as we wanted to, but didn’t succeed in our expectations. I think we played well, but not our best,” voiced junior point guard Ryan McMahon.
With a strong start and much hope, Malden began the game with an even score, but slowly, their chances of winning became increasingly slim. During the first quarter, Malden successfully shot their baskets, tying the score 15-15 while making careful choices and maintaining strategy at a fast pace. “Keeping up with the speed of the game and making quick decisions can be tough,” McMahon added.
Later in the game, the Tide acquired a solid lead, bringing the score to 53-26. “We played a very good first quarter. The boys were ready to play. Unfortunately, in the second quarter, we had an injury and some foul trouble. That set us back a little bit and we weren’t able to overcome it in the second half,” explained coach Daniel Jurkowski.
“Some challenges we went through were that our opponents can be super aggressive, making it hard to execute plays. Keeping up with the speed of the game and making quick decisions can be tough. Staying out of foul trouble while still being aggressive can be a balancing act, as well as every game having different refs with varying styles, so players have to adjust to that,” McMahon expressed.
“The biggest challenges were getting us through their zone defense and pressure and we were unable to hit shots around the perimeter,” Okoth continued. He believed that they could have “come into the game with energy and remember our work ethic to try and win the game” in order to be better prepared.
Everett managed to build a 20-point lead, ending the game with a score of 75-40. “We knew it would be a tough, competitive game. Everett is a rivalry game and every time we play it’s a great atmosphere with lots of passion and energy on the court and in the stands,” Jurkowski mentioned.
“Even though it was a tough loss, we managed to come together after the game and put our differences aside to figure out what we can improve on for the last handful of games. We need to be able to break the press more effectively, but we also need to be able to hit the shots that we take. Hopefully, we can take these negatives and turn them into positives for the final stretch of the year,” said senior guard Aidan Brett.
Senior guard Wyatt Dessert stated, “There’s always positives from every loss because it’s a lesson to learn from it to get better for the next game.”
As Malden wraps up their season, regardless of the unsuccessful undergoing, they hope to close off the season with a positive mindset. “Even though we lost, we did it as a team and everyone gave it their all,” McMahon concluded.
