Loud cheers erupted from the stands as the J.P. Stevens Hawks faced off against the Woodbridge Barrons. These cheers came from students and teachers alike, as it happened to be Teacher Appreciation Night, where the girls basketball team wore shirts in support of their favorite teachers. The stands were crowded with the team’s teachers. 

Initially, the Hawks fell behind in the first quarter with 14 points against Woodbridge’s 15. Nevertheless, sophomore Aliyah Manley led in points, earning the Hawks two 3-point shots. In addition, senior Captain Chloe Chan garnered an additional 4 points. Seniors Amber White and Jeslyn Victor each earned 2 points as well, totaling 14 for the Hawks. 

By halftime, the Hawks had accumulated a total of 23 points to Woodbridge’s 28. Amber led the second quarter, scoring her team 5 points. Chloe and senior Mansi Mohanraj earned an additional 2 points each. 

However, things started to look up for the Hawks in the 3rd quarter, when the team amassed 15 points in the quarter alone. Seven of these points came from Mansi alone. An additional 4 came from Chloe, as well as 2 each from Jeslyn and Aliyah. Totaled, this put the Hawks at 38 points against Woodbridge’s 35. For the first time in the game, the Hawks were ahead. 

The Hawks’ winning streak continued into the 4th quarter when the Hawks brought in a massive 16 points compared to Woodbridge’s 6. Strong defense effectively prevented the Barrons from scoring. This was combined with the Hawks’ powerful offense, led by Mansi. She scored 7 points, which included 2 3-point shots. This was followed by Chloe’s 4, Amber’s 3, and Aliyah’s 2 points.

In total, 52 points were amassed for the Hawks to Woodbridge’s 41. Mansi alone made 16 of these points, followed by Chloe’s 14 points. Amber and Aliyah each made 10 points, and Jeslyn made 6 points. 

The Hawks played an impressive game, competitively battling against Woodbridge until the very end. In the end, the Hawks came out on top due to their teamwork and perseverance.