On the afternoon of Wednesday, February 13th, Gowan Court hosted two fierce teams. The gymnasium crowd eagerly watched the Kent Lions fight the Westminster Martlets until the last buzzer sounded, awarding Kent with a win and a final score of 56-37.

In their game against Westminster last year, Kent did take home a win, but this year the ladies knew what to expect. FiFi Duncan ’19 explains, “the game was not given to us. We needed to prove ourselves and work for the win.”

Towards the end of the first period, Coach Nuffer demanded more communication on the court, asking the team to assess their defensive mechanisms. Without hesitation, Captain Sarah Gavin ’19 jumped in to deliver. She took initiative and played with a calm and collected attitude that would land her many points.

The bleachers consisted of a diverse, animated crowd. Students, teachers, faculty kids, and even dogs (courtesy of Ms. Hardcastle), attended the game and brought a tremendous amount of support with them.

In the last three seconds of the first half, Duncan went in for the hoop. Unfortunately, the ball looped around the rim and bounced out, but Nuffer still shot her a grin. When halftime presented itself, the ladies walked away, leading the scoreboard by seven points. The lead was not surprising, especially considering it felt like much of the period was played near the other team’s basket.

As soon as the Lions were back on the court, they took advantage of their revived vigor, attaining an immediate steal by Duncan and working diligently together with swift reaction rates throughout the whole second period.

Duncan and Gavin were a dynamic duo during the entire game; they seemed to represent the whole team’s spirit and strength, utilizing the power of unspoken communication. Likewise, camaraderie among all the Lions was obvious. Even when Molly Garrahy ’20 was knocked down, she fought to stay in, but traded places with Ariana Arias ’21, yelling, “Give her nothing, Ari!”

In the end, the ladies rejoiced after the game, coming away proud. Duncan reflected on their work, saying, “the team did well defensively, and we showed intensity with our press.”