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A Look Back at a Memorable Season

Khadijah Hickson, a senior guard on the girls’ basketball team, on Monday took the long view as she put the varsity team’s winning season in proper perspective.

“It would have been nice to win the state championship, especially because we were doing so well all year,” she said.

And, yet in the next breath, she went on to list the team’s accomplishments in this exhilarating season of 24 wins and four losses. A Friends Schools League title. The most wins in a season by any AFS team. Winning the Coaches vs. Cancer tournament trophy. Never losing a game at home.

“The best thing about this season was ending it with no regrets,” Khadijah said.

From the start, the team’s main goal was to win the FSL title, and that’s what they did, against Shipley School on February 10.

“We won our biggest battle,” she said.

But in a rematch this past Friday, in the state tourney for independent schools, Shipley — whose team members were determined not to lose to AFS three times in one season — took home the victory and, eventually, the state crown.

In the semifinal game, AFS trailed nearly the whole game, and despite staging several rallies in the third and fourth periods, could not ignite a sustained offensive drive. After the game, Khadijah said, there were some tears but mostly silence in the locker room.

“The hardest part is that you never picture yourself ending your season on a loss,” she said.

Shipley’s state crown was its fourth in the last six seasons.

Khadijah is one of three senior captains on team. Jade Young and Alyssa DeNofa are fellow captains and leaders in their own right, but only Khadijah was the “speaking captain” for the team. That meant that she alone was to talk to the referees.

Khadijah sees this season as evidence of a growing momentum in the girls’ basketball program.

“It shows the program will be moving forward from here,” she said. “It’s nice to leave something behind for the younger kids to continue.”

She’s confident about the blend of leadership she sees in the team’s current freshmen and sophomores, and says they will be ready to take on the challenges next year.

Khadijah also lauded the role the coaches — Jeff Bond, Angie Adams and Bianca Wombough — played in the team’s success.

“The best thing about the coaches,” she said, “was how approachable they are. We had so many fun times with them. Yet, we knew when it was time to get serious and get things done,” she said.

She said the coaches checked in on how the players were doing on and off the court, and valued their input during the games. At halftime, Jeff’s first question to the team was always about what the players themselves were experiencing on the court. “What do you guys see?” he would ask them.

She also paid tribute to Upper School English Teacher Jenny Burkholder, who led the team in after-school yoga lessons during the season.

“If we had another coach, it would be Jenny B. She always sent us notes, and stopped the seniors in the hallways. She gave us good insights, good motivation. It sticks with you.”

For now, Khadijah is focusing on where she might play basketball in college, and thinking about the FSL title banner that will be added to the gym wall.

“It will be good, being able to come back to see a banner — to have something you are a part of” displayed for all to see, she said.

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