Martlets Drop Close Contest to Taft

In our final game of the season, the Martlets took on the Rhinos of Taft at home. Eager to play well, especially for our seniors, the team sought to end the season on a high note. Both teams got off to a slow start in the first few minutes with a handful of turnovers and missed shots. But everyone shook off the rust and started to hit a groove. Austin Black ‘24 played well in the post, finishing off both pick-and-rolls and dump passes, eventually putting up ten points. Jermaine James ‘24 continued to play well as a facilitator while also hitting a couple critical shots in the first half to swing momentum in our direction. James and Chris Powell ‘26 truly came alive in the second half, hitting perimeter shots and getting good looks in the lane, while Wills Lown ‘24, Johnny Hadden ‘24, and Jayden Reid ‘25 contributed on both sides of the ball. Despite some sloppy play at times, we continued to fight, never letting Taft get too far ahead. If they went on a run, we matched them. But we never got out ahead ourselves. Going into the last seconds of the game, we had the ball down three. We drew up a play for a three in the corner, but Taft played good defense, taking away an easy open look, and the offense stalled. As with several home games this season, we lost but in a very competitive fashion to strong teams. Our team should be proud of the overall effort during this game and the season. We are already looking forward to hitting the court again next year!