Alex Goldenberg: Grade 7

The Physical Education curriculum for grades five through eight focuses on interscholastic athletics. Although students can chose between sports during the fall and spring seasons, all students play basketball in the winter. Most teams start the season out rusty, but they later develop sportsmanship, teamwork, and, of course, athletic skills.

The 5-6 Boys teams are perfect examples of teams who have completed all of these tasks. The Boys 5-6 Blue team, coached by Eddie Harris, started their season with two strong wins. One of them was a blowout, crushing the other team 27-3. They continued strong, only losing another game by three points. The Boys 5-6 Red team, coached by Brian Boyle, did even better by winning all of their games with dominating scores, teamwork, and great ball movement. The Boys 5-6 Purple team, coached by Steve Miller, also did an outstanding job by only losing one game. These three teams were prime examples of Buckley’s great winter basketball season.

The Girls 5-6 teams also had exciting seasons. The Girls 5-6 Blue team, coached by Nicole Lanzetta, won three of their games and only lost one. The Girls 5-6 Red team, coached by Chris Jenne, won two and lost two games. Last but not least, the Girls 5-6 Purple, coached by Jess Fairweather, team went undefeated and additionally won each of their games by at least 10 points.

Even though the 7-8 Girls teams did not go undefeated, there are many positive things to say about their teams’ performances. For example, the Girls 7-8 Red team, coached by Jess Fairweather, lost against Holy Child, but they won the Long Island Independent School tournament. The Girls 7-8 Blue, coached by Nicole Lanzetta, team started off slowly, losing their first two games, but they redeemed themselves by winning their next three games. Both squads showed impressive resilience and camaraderie.

The Boys 7-8 teams had thrilling seasons, with both teams showing outstanding examples of encouragement, improvement, and teamwork. The Boys 7-8 Blue team, coached by Eddie Harris, had an amazing game against Trinity Lutheran. The Boys 7-8 Red team, coached by Isaac Neal, had a great season as well, including going to the finals of the 7-8 Boys Long Island Independent School Tournament.

“Overall, Buckley has had their best basketball season yet,” said Athletic Director Roney Eford. This season Buckley has lived up to its athletic standards and beyond. The school is proud to be known as an athletically inclined institution.