It was almost three and a half quarters before a chink in the armor appeared. For 26 minutes, the South girls’ basketball team was in control, leading the sixth-seeded Needham Rockets. Facing a favored opponent for the third time in as many games, the No. 10 Lions attacked the paint and let shots fly from the perimeter, both with overwhelming success. Not surprisingly, South leaned on the same formula that had carried the girls to a 15-8 record in the tough DCL.
Almost all of the team’s scoring came courtesy of South’s three leading scorers, all sophomores: Sophie Bikofsky, Kendall Burton and Chloe Rothman. As usual, senior center Sam Tye supplied solid defense, the occasional basket and a veteran presence. For almost three and a half quarters everything went just as planned.
But in the last six minutes, it all deteriorated. The shots stopped falling and the Rockets’ attack began to adjust to South’s zone defense. A 20-8 Needham run pushed the game into overtime, where multiple turnovers and ill-advised shots sunk the Lions, victims of a 51-47 loss.
After the game there was little doubt as to what had spelled South’s demise. “We were executing and our shots were falling in the first half. But when things started not to go our way in the second half, we struggled to keep our composure,” first-year coach Sam Doner said.
In a season where youth was South’s biggest asset, it also proved to be its greatest fault. Bikofsky, Burton and Rothman carried the team, making the big plays and scoring most of the points, including 45 of the Lions’ 47 in the semifinal. Still, despite their success, the three guards showed a propensity for turnovers, foolish passes and wild drives that are the hallmarks of young and inexperienced players.
Oddly, it’s this weakness that is the greatest proof of how impressive South’s future can be. Starting three sophomores almost every game and with only five seniors on the roster, the Lions nevertheless managed to make it farther than any South squad in recent history. They competed in one of the best leagues in the state and upset two higher seeds in the Division I tournament.
These accomplishments, despite the team’s obvious weaknesses, are convincing enough for captain Sarah Bikofsky.
“We were definitely inexperienced, and it showed at times,” she said. “I think by next year everyone will have matured even more. Even great teams start off inexperienced.”
Tye agreed with her co-captain.“Every game this year was a learning experience,” she said. “With basketball, you learn something new every time you play a game. Because of what the team’s been able to do this year, they’ll be more mature and their composure will get much better.”
Going into the season, it was clear that the team would depend heavily on the sophomore trio. The three players all bring something different to the table. Bikofsky, the captain’s sister, has one of the best shots in the league, relying heavily on three-pointers while also using her height to grab offensive boards.
In contrast, Burton is a streaky shooter, best when utilizing her impressive ball handling and going to the basket. Rothman is of a completely different mold. Less of a scorer than her two teammates, the point guard was often a calming presence on the court, bringing the ball out, finding open players and burning lazy defenders from beyond the arc.
The prolific offensive attack, aided by a freewheeling style of play that Doner instituted, helped South rack up the points, on one occasion winning by 49. Doner also instituted a winning attitude that complimented the girls’ aggressive style, often keeping starting players in with leads of 15 or 20 points.
Rothman credits this approach with some of the team’s success. “The only one who believed we could go as far as we did was Sam Doner,” she said. “He told us from the start that we could put a banner in the field house and we started believing it too. That aggressiveness won’t stop with the loss to Needham.”
Though the semifinal loss was disappointing, the future look bright. Aside from the three sophomores, Ally Leipzeig and Vanessa Gailius, who both logged significant time this year, will return as seniors. In addition, Burton’s younger sister Kayla, currently an eighth-grader, has been practicing with the team all year and should compete for a spot on the varsity team as a freshman next December.
Pressure on the Lions will be extraordinarily high next year, as many are likely to predict a deeper run into the playoffs and possibly a championship appearance. Still, it seems that most believe the team can handle the lofty expectations.
“I think they’ll get closer to the championship over the next two years. I think they have a chance of winning one,” Sarah Bikofsky said.
