The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School men’s varsity basketball team took on the Monarch High School Knights at home on Senior Night on Monday, Jan. 27. Coming off of a close loss to Northeast High School, which dropped the Eagles to a record of 8-12, the team was ready to end the season strong, as this was their last game.
Before the game, MSD held a ceremony to honor their senior guards Ayden Mclean (3), Brady Kuebler (1), Noam Refaeli (14), Justin Jaimes (33) and Jason Ortiz (13).
The Eagles were determined to send their seniors off on a high note.
“We really shared the ball as a team getting our seniors involved on their special night,” guard Derek Scheidt (4) said. “Defense was great and it was a solid win to go into districts with high morale.”
The game started out slow, with neither team getting much traction on the scoreboard. Both teams seemed to be locked in a defensive stalemate for most of the first quarter, that is until the Eagles experienced a surge of momentum as the quarter came to end. The Eagles ended the first half with a 23-14 lead over the Knights.
This momentum carried through to the second quarter, as Mclean was on fire, making three-pointers seemingly every time he had the ball. In addition to Mclean’s shooting success, forward Zach Story (25) managed to get numerous rebounds and put the ball right back up for a second chance at scoring.
Defensive performances from Kuebler and the rest of the Eagles’ defense disrupted the Knight’s offense, causing haywire passes and turnovers. The Eagles rode this success into halftime, at which point they were up by a score of 42-23.
At halftime, the Eagles seemed to be playing stronger than the Knights. The team was excited to give the seniors one last win in front of their home audience.
“The best part of being on the MSD basketball team is the memories I’ve built with my teammates,” Mclean said.
At the beginning of the third quarter, the Eagles continued to add to their score. Kuebler, Mclean and Story made baskets at will, while the defense held strong against Monarch’s offensive attacks. The momentum continued to surge in favor of the Eagles until the conclusion of the third quarter, at which point the Eagles rounded out three successful quarters of play with a 55-33 lead.
Entering the fourth quarter, the game began to slow down, with both teams trading defensive stops. As the clock started winding down, the seniors were honored with a standing ovation and cheers, celebrating the final win of their high school careers. The game ended in a score of 67-43.
After the game, the seniors voiced their satisfaction with their performance and the outcome of the match.
“Reflecting back on the performance on senior night, I was very happy with my play and the overall outcome of the game,” Kuebler said. “I did my part well to pull our team forward with the win. It was a great way to end the season.”
When the final buzzer sounded, the Eagles had come out on top, finishing with a regular season record of 9-12. It was a very successful outing for the seniors, and the perfect Senior Night outcome for their final time playing as an Eagle. The Eagles will move onto districts and will play against Spanish River High School on Feb. 3.
