The boys eighth-grade basketball team had a successful season this year. They went undefeated, 27-0, bringing home three first place trophies.
The team started the season off strong winning the Westminster LBA tournament on November 30 with only one practice under their belt. This winning role only continued as the season went on.
In February, the boys traveled to Scotland for the annual International School of Aberdeen Junior Tournament. They faced tough competition from ACS Egham on the first day, surviving a game-winning shot attempt at the buzzer to win by just one point. Their other main challenge came from the St. Dominic’s Catholic school from Portugal. After beating them on day one by 13 points, they were matched up again in the tournament championship game on day two. That game was a much closer one with the Eagles winning 25-20.
Throughout the season they continued to grow as a team while improving on individual skills along the way. Coach Colin Bridgewater had them run drills over and over until they got it right in practice. This is the reason why they were a tough team.
One example of how they showed this toughness was March 6 against St. Bonaventure’s in the London Youth Games third round in hostile territory. After the Eagles took the lead early in the game, St. Bonaventure’s went on a run to take an 8 point lead early in the second quarter. However, the team dug deep and went on a run of their own to get the lead back by halftime. They dominated the second half to win the game 89-54.
Their final game as an eighth-grade team was a Westminster LBA U14 League Final against QK on March 22. The team won 77-49 to cap their 27-0 season. Although an ASL U14 team competed in the London Youth Games Final Four on March 29, only six players from the eighth-grade team will be participating because it’s eighth grade trip week.
