Climbing to the Championship

2023 Metro Independent School League (MISAL) champions for the first time in 19 years. It was a special season for the Lady Mustangs’ basketball team to say the least, but it wasn’t easy. 

The Lessons 

Our “championship month” included some of the most tense moments of the season and probably playing careers for our players. It took determination, dedication, focus and the application of lessons we learned all season to make it through those moments. The month began with a devastating 45-30 loss to Takoma Academy. The defeat crushed us, but it marked a pivotal moment in the season. 

After 41 turnovers in our first game, squandering large leads, and dealing with team tension as we struggled to figure out our roles, we began the season with a record of 2-5. Although, after each loss or win, we discussed and learned valuable lessons such as: valuing each possession, persistence, remaining poised, learning to communicate, and, most of all, trust. 

The month of January was the meat of our season–it included five conference games, back-to-back games, and intense scrimmages versus the junior varsity of some of the region’s most elite programs such as Bishop McNamara and Riverdale Baptist. As a team we discussed the level of focus we needed to battle through such a grueling schedule. We developed a calendar of full practice, game prep, skill development and rest days to help us remain focused. We enhanced our opponent scouting reports with short video breakdowns of each team’s offense, defense, strengths, and weaknesses. The month was intense, but it prepared us for the Championship Month. 

After the 12 point loss to Takoma Academy, we began to encounter obstacles similar to those we had seen during the early part of the season. This time, we were able to apply lessons we learned to overcome obstacles and it led us to a six-game winning streak headed into our second game versus Takoma Park. 

Championship Month’s Beginning

After a 12-point loss to Takoma Academy on January 5 in which we lost one of our starting guards to a knee injury, we began to encounter obstacles similar to those in the early part of the season. This time, we were able to apply lessons learned and overcome those obstacles. Now we had to learn how to play without a starting ball handler and one of our best scorers. Our level of focus increased, and we overcame obstacles on our way to a six-game winning streak heading into our second game versus Takoma Park. 

On February 6, we traveled to Takoma and I could see before the game that we had a bundle of nerves. Takoma was the crème de la crème of our conference and their crowd was intimidating. If we won, we’d be tied for first place. We came out tight, but kept it close in the first half down only 3 points. Although the game was close, we weren’t playing to our potential. Some of our key players were playing tentative, while others seemed downright scared. After, shall I say, an inspired half-time talk, we came out even worse! Players were literally feeling sick with anxiety. We took the loss, but we became stronger. 

In our next practice, we discussed fear, anxiety, and handling moments of pressure. We watched a video of Steph Curry who said he stays in his routine and relies on preparation to handle those moments. We also watched a video of Kobe Bryant where he discussed handling fear and anxiety. He also discussed his comeback from injury and related it to being at the bottom of Mount Everest and overcoming the fear and anxiety of climbing the mountain. Going step by step and never looking too far ahead is the message we took from Kobe’s example. We learned to stay in the moment, rely on preparation and go step by step to accomplish goals. This was the beginning of our championship month. 

Climbing the Mountain

Our first step in climbing the mountain – King’s Christian Academy for home court advantage in the playoffs. Just like that, we needed to apply our lessons regarding fear and anxiety. Before the game, with adrenaline pulsing through causing the tension to thicken, we took a moment to do breathing exercises which helped us to relax. We were up 13 points by halftime, but we knew King’s wasn’t going away. They outscored us 18-0 in the third quarter and had a five point lead heading into the fourth quarter. All of a sudden, we needed to be poised, we needed trust, and we needed to value each possession-all lessons we learned. Like every game versus King’s, it was an excruciating, physical battle. We outscored them by three points in the fourth quarter to win the game and earn home court advantage against… you guessed it… King’s. 

We needed a break to mentally and physically recover from the King’s game, but no break was in store. We had to face CMIT North the next day. The game turned out to be a blessing because we lost another starting guard to a concussion versus King’s, and we needed to learn how to play without her. After a sluggish start, we managed to overcome CMIT North, but mostly we learned about playing without two of our best ball handlers. 

After a week of recovery and pouring over film, scouting reports and preparing for King’s to play a Box and 1 against us, on the day of the game our team captain sent me a message that she watched a video of King’s preparing to play an exotic Triangle and 2 defense. It was clear, since we were down two ball handlers they planned to shut down our best two remaining ball handlers using the Triangle and 2 defense. We scrambled to develop a game plan and used our before game shoot around to discuss and practice the game plan. 

Odds were against us in this game. We had to beat King’s for the third time in a short period, we were down two starting ball handlers, and we had only scored a combined 2 points versus King’s in the third quarter this season. We remained relaxed, relied on preparation, and executed our game plan. Down one point by half, we knew the third quarter would be critical. While unsure of how we would respond, I could see the determination on the faces of our players. We outscored them by six in the third quarter and took a five-point lead into the fourth quarter. The drama wasn’t over. With five minutes left in the fourth quarter and with a 9 point lead, two players fouled out, and we were down to four varsity players and an 8th grader who hadn’t played the entire game. She entered the game and gave us a solid five minutes of defense and rebounding to help us advance to the MISAL championship game versus Takoma Academy. 

 

Planting our First Flag

February 18, 2023, the first time SMCA had been in the MISAL Championship game in 19 years, was an amazing feat on its own. Takoma was the powerhouse, so naturally, we were the underdogs. We learned a lot from our first two games with them, we had two days to prepare, and we believed we could beat them. We set up a screen and projector in the gym, went back and forth from watching film to practicing strategy on the floor. The day of the game held a pregame shoot around, and there was a sense of calmness, confidence, determination, and focus in the air. Before the game we talked about the obstacles we overcome during the season, but one eluded us, and that was beating Takoma Academy. We had only lost two games since January 1st and both were to Takoma Academy. 

Both teams came out a little tight, but we went down 10-6.  Finally, in the second quarter we took an 11-10 lead. We had an 11-point lead at half and built the lead to 15 in the second half. As usual, the game was not without drama. Another one of our primary ball handlers suffered an injury and sat out a large portion of the second half. Thankfully, she returned in the fourth and helped us secure our first MISAL championship in 19 years. The moment was surreal! 

We climbed the mountain and planted our flag!   

Champions in Life

The level of determination, persistence, focus and character these young ladies displayed are beyond the words of explanation. We were not a team of so-called “elite” basketball players. We had a team where each player had a role and needed to be successful in their role each night. We won through the execution of defense, preparation, heart, leadership, not talent alone.  In our championship month we played with 7 players with one player only playing 5 minutes in our playoff game versus Kings. Those five minutes may have been the most critical of the season. We overcame multiple obstacles, team adversity, and applied lessons we learned to be champions on the court. 

The trophies will stand tall in the school’s trophy case but the lessons we learned will accompany us for the remainder of our lives as we continue to climb mountains. 

-Coach Sim