On Thursday night, February 1, the NYHS girls’ basketball team won 53–11 against  Concordia Christian Academy in the 1B Sea-Tac league playoffs.

NYHS (9-6) was seeded 5th in the league. Concordia (0-5) was seeded 12th. The home game, which took place at Seattle Hebrew Academy, started strong in the first quarter with Paulina Gamel, number 15, tipping the ball for NYHS. 

Both teams played ambitiously and worked hard, but NYHS was faster and had better ball control. The other team defended heavily, however, NYHS pushed through consistently and got the ball back, allowing them to score. 

Rose Clayman, number 1, and one of three co-captains, scored first for NYHS. The first quarter ended with 8 NYHS and 2 Concordia.  

NYHS came in strong in the second quarter, doubling their points, and leaving Concordia behind at 6 points. By the end of the second quarter, NYHS was leading by 34 to Concordia’s 11. By this point, it was clear that NYHS was going to come out on top. By the third quarter, NYHS showed the energy and determination to score. The girls’ team showed great on-court communication which has been a team goal to improve their performance. At the end of the third quarter, NYHS gained 8 more points, leading with 42 and Concordia still at 11.

Even though NYHS was leading the entire game, two freshmen players who are newer to basketball were able to score, without some of the starting players on court. NYHS had an excellent fourth quarter, upping their points to 53 by the end of the game. 

Head coach Nikki Nelson is proud of the team and the hard work they demonstrated in their first playoff game. “They shook off their nerves and played really well, and lifted up their teammates by getting them involved,” said Coach Nikki. On Monday, February 5, NYHS will play against the number 9 seed, Summit Classical. If they win, they will play against either Muckleshoot Tribal School or Crescent School on Wednesday, February 7, in the Tri Districts.