by Andrew Mannix
Girls’ basketball, 5-5, winners of four of the last five, has struggled to be able to qualify for the State Tournament.
To qualify for the State Tournament, the Tigers will have to win five of the remaining 14 games.
Before the New Year, the Tigers had lost four of their first five games, starting at 1-4. However, the Tigers beat Weymouth to start this year, and have only lost one game since then—to Needham by one point.
According to junior Ednaija Lassiter, a captain with senior Amanda Ortiz and junior Jill Latanowich, the struggles at the beginning of the season were due to inexperience. Having only one senior on the team  made it difficult to win early in the year, she said.
According to Lassiter, the reason for the Tigers’ success has been their ability to come together.
“We’re more mentally tough, we’re stronger, we’re starting to compete more with each other and practice is a lot harder. We’re pushing each other and making each other grow and it’s showing on the court,” said Lassiter.
After the team was 1-3, coach Linda Martindale said that the Tigers had to “stay together as a team, improve each week, and enjoy the process–even when it’s difficult.”
Although the Tigers have been on a hot streak, inexperience is still an issue for them, according to Lassiter, mentioning the team’s “mental lapses.”
“We’re good but we go from good to bad. We never stay high for a very long time; we just drop,” she said.
According to Lassiter, the Tigers will need to avoid these lapses to have a better chance to qualify for the tournament.
The Tigers will face Wellesley Friday, Jan. 23, Braintree Friday, Jan. 30, and Weymouth Tuesday, Feb. 3.
Lassiter’s main goal is to “continue to see each other to grow because we’re only losing one player and to have a sense or urgency, fight every time, and think every game is ours”.