School News

2018 Winter Athletics Wrap-Up

by Dave Levy, Athletic Director
 
Adding a sixth team to the Lowell Basketball Program this winter, the Leopards enjoyed unprecedented success. The teams had 76 basketball players, 26 wins (18 at home in the Lowell Dome) and Two January Jam Tournament Championships! The Middle School Boys All Stars Basketball team rallied from a devastating early season loss and finished the season with an 11–3 record! The action culminated with a 30–24 victory over Barnesville in the January Jam Tournament Championship. The Middle School Girls were led by seven 8th Graders, and picked up where they left off… dominating their opponents. The team earned a 9–4 record, including a January Jam Tournament Title. The 4/5 Boys All Stars defeated a number of teams with older, strong players. They finished the season with an all time best record of 6–2! Both the Middle School Boys Superstars and the 4/5 Boys Superstars improved dramatically over the course of the season. The 4/5 girls had a record number of athletes and strong play from their 5th graders—constantly wowing the crowd with their strong play. The Lowell Dome was buzzing from November to February—the community provided great energy and support as the Leopards competed at the highest level.
 
Middle School Boys All Stars
Returning only three players and coming off a 6–9 season, the Middle School Boys All Stars were determined to have a winning season—complete with a Championship Title. After a 21–6 win over the British School to open the season, the Leopards were eliminated in the first round at the Burke Tournament, losing to host Burke 32–30 despite coming back from 14 points down. Coach Dave used the loss as motivation and called the early exit “the beginning of something special.” The Leopards returned to practice with a new discipline and focus. With Tristan leading the way as the head of the 1–2–2 press, Lowell won their next four games—defeating Barrie, Waldorf, Barnesville, and Burke. In the Waldorf game, Tristan and Jay combined for 35 points while Jake shut down the opponent’s center. A few days later, in the rematch against Burke, Jay scored 17 points, proving that Lowell was the superior of the two teams.

The Leopards went on enjoy wins in a variety of ways. The team learned from their tough early season defeat won several close games, including a Triple Overtime effort against Norwood, 49-41. Jay scored 26 in that game while Seth added 10. The team also blew out Hebrew Academy, avenging a loss from last season, with a 49-19 win on our home court. As the post season approached, the Leopards provided the home fans with two close victories. In the opening round against a strong, physical Barrie team, Lowell was losing at half time before Jay caught fire—making three consecutive off the dribble three pointers, each more difficult than the one before! Lowell held on to win 31–26 and advance to the tournament final against Barnesville. Lowell beat Barnesville on the road, but lost at home 44–42. In the rubber match, the Leopards started slowly. The team was down 8 at half time before Dylan shut down Barnesville’s point guard. With even scoring (Jay 9, Dylan 8 and Tristan 8), the Leopards made their free throws down the stretch and earned a 30–24 championship win—their first January Jam Tournament title in Lowell history! A week later, the Leopards beat Washington Episcopal to earn the best record in Lowell history—11–3 (9–1 in at home in the Lowell Dome!) Jay (over 300 career points) and Tristan (more than 200 career points) emerged as Lowell’s 2nd and 4th all-time leading scorers in the process.

Middle School Girls 
Coming off a 10-1 season, the Middle School Girls picked up where they had left off, beating Barrie on the road 30–8 behind 21 points from Juliana. The Leopards won their first three games of the season including a 1-point victory at Barnesville. The team was down 8 going into the fourth quarter, but Juliana and Frankie combined for a finish that will never be forgotten, with Frankie making a buzzer beater to win the game. The team was 3-0 before the Sheridan Tournament. With several of their 8th graders unavailable for the game, Frankie took over. She scored 14 points including another buzzer beater, pushing the game into overtime. Lowell lost a tight one, 26–23. From there, the Leopards dominated nearly every opponent. The backcourt of Kate and Kayla proved to be formidable on both ends of the court, and Lowell always had a size and strength advantage in the post. During that stretch, the Leopards beat both Burke and Hebrew Academy. Then, the week before the tournament, Lowell took on Barnesville at home. This time the Leopards lost 27–24, despite 14 points from Juliana. The team prepared meticulously for the rematch. After beating Burke easily to advance to the tournament final, Lowell put Tenaya in a box-and-one on Barnesville’s tough point guard. Between strong defense and a combined 20-point effort from Juliana and Frankie, the Leopards emerged victorious—winning the January Jam Tournament over rival Barnesville for the second consecutive season. The Leopards followed up that game with a victory over Washington Episcopal on Senior Day and finished with a 9–4 record. Juliana finished her epic five-year career with 406 points. She is Lowell’s all-time leading scorer (Elka ‘17 is 2nd with 176), and her record may very well stand forever.
 
Middle School Boys Superstars
Nearly every member of the Middle School Boys Superstars scored this season. Running Coach Doug’s pick-and-rock offense, the Leopards did a fine job getting open and enjoyed inside scoring from Sam and beautiful ball handling from Joshua. This execution would carry throughout the season. Sam had over 10 rebounds to go with 10 points in a home game against Bullis. Isaiah and Ollie both provided the Leopards with transition highlights. The team played both Hebrew Academy and Siena twice, proving to be a tough opponent the second time around. In both cases, their defense and rebounding was strong. Not afraid of anybody, the team was often at a size disadvantage, but always kept fighting. The Leopards showed great improvement among a group who was largely new to basketball, played strong games, and learned a lot about court awareness, hustle, and teamwork.

4/5 Boys All Stars 
The 4/5 Boys All Stars had the best season of any 4/5 team in Lowell history. The team finished with a 6–2 record, including victories over bigger, older teams such as Woods Academy, Norwood, and Green Acres. The team opened the season with a 38-point effort, the most in Lowell history and then later followed it up with an incredible 40-point day against McLean. Julian has waited years to wear the Lowell jersey, and he was ready for the moment. Julian led the team with incredible court sense, ball handling, and composure. He averaged 7 points and 4 assists per game. Working together with Ezra (8 points per game), the team formed a tough to cover inside/outside presence. Isaac worked hard down low and led the team in rebounding while Sam and Cyrus provided additional ball handling ability. While the Leopards blew out some of their opponents, they also closed tight games beautifully. Up 2 with 7 seconds to go at Hebrew Academy, Sam went to the line for a 1-and-1 and knocked down both free throws to put the game away. The Leopards won, 25–21. It was an amazing, historic season for Lowell—6–2 is the best record of any 4/5 Boys Team in Lowell history and Coach Dave is very excited to have each of our eight 5th Graders join the Middle School program and take them to the next level!

4/5 Girls
With their largest roster ever, the 4/5 Girls had a strong season. After a few weeks of practice, the team played seven games, wowing the crowd with inside shooting and aggressive defense. Led by a backcourt of Maddie and Elodie, the team played a number of close games against strong opponents, including an 8-point effort at Hebrew Academy. The Leopards played with great intensity on the wings—Caroline and Bella were nearly impossible to get around. With a number of 8th graders graduating, Coach Mallory has a lot of talent coming up to the Middle School team for next season!
 
4/5 Boys Superstars
After three years of 4/5 Boys Basketball rosters with 20 athletes or more, the Leopards program added a sixth basketball team to the program. Coached by Chris, the 4/5 Superstars provided a great opportunity for developing players to gain experience. The team played five games, improving each time they touched the floor. The Leopards focused on getting the ball inside to their big men, most notably Ben ’21, who scored 8 points on the road against Norwood. The team also enjoyed great play from Nathaniel ’22, who proved to be an outstanding defensive stopper, and Leo ’21, who scored in nearly every game. The Leopards played with incredible energy and spirit. The future is bright!

 
 
 
Lowell School is a private PK-8th grade school located in NW Washington, DC. Our mission is to create an inclusive community of lifelong learners in which each individual is valued and respected.