Looking to start their season off with two wins, the boys and girls varsity basketball teams entered the Columbia Prep Tip-Off Tournament. This small tournament consisted of four teams: Columbia Prep, Hackley, Democracy Prep, and High School of Economics and Finance on the boy’s side, and for the girls, the Hunter School participated instead of High School of Economics and Finance.

On the first day of the tournament, Hackley teams matched up against Democracy Prep. The boys dominated from the start with major contributions from senior Alex Grant and freshman Jelani Middleton. Alex Grant scored 14 points, while Jelani Middleton added 11. They won with a final score of 80-40. The girls likewise controlled their game, winning with a final score of 71-49. Senior captain Sophia Petriello led the scoring with 20 points and junior Ashley Currie added 16.

On the second day of the tournament, both the girls and boys teams faced Columbia Prep in the finals. The girls played at 4:00 and made it a one-sided game controlling the game from the opening tip-off. The game finished with a final score of 77-62 with Ashley Currie leading with 22 points and senior Sophia Petriello adding 21. The boys game was a back-and-forth battle with the lead changing every minute. The boys ended up winning 76-73 led by Alex Grant’s 21 points alongside Jake Hendelman’s 15.

“It was a great start to the season where we also had lots of success building team chemistry. I am also excited to see how much we will improve as the season continues,” senior captain Alex Grant said.

Junior Alessa Mendoza received the tournament MVP on the girls side and Alex Grant received the MVP award on the boys side. Both teams started their season off on a strong note going 2-0 and hoping to carry the momentum into their league games.