Panthers go for the three: varsity basketball plays three games in Arizona

By Maya Wernick and Cybele Zhang|January 26, 2017

Josie Garcia-Euyoque '18 shoots a free throw against Mt. Baker. Archer played three games in the Cactus Jam Tournament.

Photo credit: Maya Wernick

Josie Garcia-Euyoque ’18 shoots a free throw against Mt. Baker. Archer played three games in the Cactus Jam Tournament.

While most students were relaxing over winter break, Archer’s varsity basketball team was shooting baskets and working on their defense.

From Dec. 26 to 31, the Panthers were at work competing in the Cactus Jam Basketball Tournament, held in Phoenix, Arizona [AZ]. The varsity team lost all three games they played.

Archer’s first opponent in the tournament was Cesar Chavez High School [Laveen Village, AZ], who defeated Archer 18-50.

Junior Danielle Roberts was the game’s highest scorer, but she expressed her discontent that the tournament did not provide the results she had hoped for.

“It was a little rough because I was injured when we were playing,” Roberts said.

Co-captain Alex Feldman’18 was also injured for the tournaments and had difficulty playing for parts of the games, but both Roberts and Feldman continued to play.

Photo by Maya Wernick
Alex Feldman ’18 attempts a layup against Mt. Baker. Archer lost all three games they participated in during the tournament.

In their second game, Archer played Maryvale High School [Phoenix, AZ], the hosts of the tournament. The Panthers fell 10-46.

Roberts was also Archer’s high scorer in this game.

“I think that the losses we [received] in Arizona just made us realize what more we have to work on,” she said.

Their final game of the tournament was against Mt. Baker Secondary School [Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada].

Mt. Baker led for most of the game, but Archer pushed back — coming within four points of their opponent. However, the surge was not quite enough, and the Panthers fell 35-46.

“The tournament did not go as well as I would have hoped, but I definitely saw improvement over the course of the tournament,” Feldman said. “There was a huge difference between our first game versus our last game, in not only scoring but also effort and ability.”

Against Mt. Baker, Roberts led Archer with 14 points and freshman Caitlin Chen added another 10. Feldman scored another six.

“Moving forward, I just want to keep improving, keep putting in effort, keep showing that we have the ability to play,” Feldman said. “We know how to play, and we know what we are doing.”

Since the team’s return from Arizona, the Panthers have gone 4-3; their overall record is 7-12.

The Panthers have beat both Providence and Holy Martyrs so far this month.

“For the future, [my goal is to] know each other better as a team and trust each other more,” Roberts said.

Archer is currently ranked third in the Liberty League standings. Their next game will be against Providence on Feb. 1.