One of the most anticipated events of the year is DC’s Tip-Off Tournament, which was definitely one to remember this year for the Lady Knights. 

In the first round, the Knights defeated The City School 59-35. Freshman Ella Stinger played a key role in this victory, scoring 20 points for the Knights. Alongside Stinger, freshman Mary O’Donnell added 8 points while sophomore Audrey Bechtel contributed 7 points to the Knights’ victory.  As sophomore Andre Kremin said, “I loved watching the teams succeed and get the win for the first time in a while.” In the other opening round game, Atlantic Christian captured a victory against TCA with Ginna Flynn scoring 28 points.

After this huge win over The City School, DC moved on to the championship game against Atlantic Christian on Saturday. Although The game started off very slow with few points scored in the first half, the pace picked up after halftime, with DC emerging with the win, 51-28. DC was led by Ella Stinger with 12 points, followed by seniors Addie Smith and Hallie Keys, who scored 10 and 8 points, respectively. 

As starter Anna Latchford remarked, “It feels great to win the tournament for the first time while being on the team. This tournament means the Knights are now a 5-0 team that is dangerous.” Meanwhile, The City School won the loser bracket over TCA with a final score of 45-28.

The tournament MVP was Ella Stinger, who helped DC  win the entire tournament with a total of 32 points over the weekend. As Sophomore Matteo DeBellis commented “This was the most exciting the tournament has been in a while.” 

With the completion of fall sports comes a bittersweet time, leaving the DC community craving more competition. Fortunately, there is the DC girls varsity basketball team for sports enthusiasts during the winter season. The team is led by Head Coach Jake Godino and Assistant Coaches Stephen Pulliam, Anne Goneau, and Logan Plosker. 

DC’s squad is led by four-year starter Addie Smith, a senior who again steps into the role of the veteran leader. “This season I would like to improve on my leadership and responsibility throughout the team,” she remarked. Last spring, Addie joined Tim FitzGerald and Dan Poirier in DC’s exclusive Lacrosse 100-Goal Club, becoming the first female athlete to ever accomplish this. While the Knights will rely upon some first-year players to fill out the roster, two returnees include sophomore Anna Latchford and junior Niamh Ireland, both of whom saw playing time last year.

A significant new addition to the team is freshman Ella Stinger, a member of the Lady Runnin’ Rebels 2028 HGSL—an AAU team where she sharpens her skills. In addition, Ella was a key piece of the girls middle school team for three years. According to Ella, “I’m excited to compete at a high level and grow closer to the team.” 

Another important addition to the team is senior multi-sport star Hallie Kees. Hallie, who recently committed to Villanova for the javelin, looks to recover her basketball knowledge and skills after a prolonged absence from the sport. She commented on what she is excited about this season: “I am really looking forward to the Tip-Off tournament because I love the atmosphere and intensity. It will be a lot of fun being able to play one last time with my friends as a senior.”

Head Coach Jake Godino himself is a DC basketball legend and another part of the Basketball 1,000-Point Club on campus. Godino also played three seasons at Division-1 program Temple. Now in his second year as the girls varsity head coach, Godino commented on how his past basketball experiences have helped him be a better coach: “I understand everything I lacked as a player in terms of my attitude, in terms of my skill set, all of that. And so I actually find a lot of joy in being okay in admitting those things about myself and my past career and then making sure those girls don’t repeat that.”

The girls team, though light on numbers, looks to compete for a title in the BAL. After recently opening their season against Barrack Hebrew Academy, DC will host the 59th Annual DC Invitational Tournament on December 13-14, where, in the opening round, they will host The City School.