In their MBIL Division 1 debut, the Varsity Basketball II Team triumphed yesterday over last year’s champions, Gann Academy, with a score of 63-57.

This win, following the Gators’ Division 2 title last year, establishes The Gators as a competitive force in the top tier.

The Gators have also only in practice for just over a week, making the victory over Gann even more impressive.

“Last year we played some teams who weren’t as strong and so I think we got a little comfortable,” Head Coach Jamie Lin said. “I’m hoping for the rest of the season we’re challenged and we’re able to step up to the challenge.”

Ryan Hurst ’25, one of two athletes participating in both boys’ teams, commits to additional training to manage his dual roles effectively.

“It’s definitely stressful sometimes because practice some days goes until 8:00 p.m.,” Hurst said. “It’s a lot of training on the weekends, too.” 

The first half of the game against Gann saw the Gators sitting comfortably in the lead by 20 points.

However, the second half proved more challenging, with Gann cutting the lead down to 5 at one point.

“When we went into the fitness center at halftime to talk, I had a feeling that they were going to make a lot of really good adjustments and come back for the second half with a lot of energy, and that’s exactly what they did,” Lin said. 

Gann also double-teamed eighth-grader BJ Dawan-Adbudallah, the youngest member of the team, allowing the Heifers to catch up, but never take the lead on points.

“I want to win, but not to try to be an unnecessary hero. Every time I got double-teamed, I would try to pass both of the opposing players or split it, and I would kick it to my teammates,” Dawan-Abdullah said.

Kasper never lacked confidence in the team, although he was concerned when the score dropped drastically.

“I’m definitely confident in our Brimmer team and I knew we were going to finish with the win,” Christoph Kasper ’25 said. “However, coming from a 20-point lead all the way down to a 4-point lead did have me on the edge of my seat.”

Hurst credits their weakened momentum to this overconfidence.

“I think going into the second half we were a little too confident, and I think we kinda just started slacking off the second half,” Hurst said. “But at the end of the game, we tried to calm down and we got the win by six or eight points.”

Moving forward, Hurst is also proud of the team’s strong dynamic.

“We all know each other since we won a championship last year,” Hurst said. 

On the contrary, Kasper sees room for improvement.

“Right now we need to do a better job of communication on the court, like verbally expressing when someone needs help or needs to be in a different position,” Kasper said.

According to Lin, the team benefits from strong plays on both sides of the court.

“We have some really good shooters. I always have had defense be our main focus, our bread-and-butter, so the fact that a lot of these guys play so hard is a big reason why we’re able to get points,” Lin said. 

However, Hurst is also aware that the team is at a bit of a disadvantage since most of the players are undersized. 

Lin also recognizes that the team has some room for improvement. 

“I think one of the things with this specific group is that we run out of steam a little too quick, so in order to adjust and come back, they need a little while to get that momentum back,” Lin said. 

Still, Lin is optimistic about the rest of the season.

Hurst and the rest of the team hope to win an MBIL Championship for the Varsity II team. 

“Obviously I think it’d be great to win another championship, but just because we’re playing up this year we are going to be playing a lot of teams that are bigger than us, more athletic, can shoot just as well,” Lin said. 

Editors’ note: The next game is today at 4:30 p.m. against Bradford Christian Academy, so stay tuned.