JBS vs. MICDS Basketball

Alison Gill, Editor-in-Chief

The boys’ and girls’ varsity basketball teams will take on rival MICDS on the evening of Friday, February 9, with both Bomber teams looking to avenge their earlier losses to the Rams this season.

In the first matchup of the night, the girls’ game tips off at 6:00 pm. The Bombers (7-12) will look to knock off MICDS (17-3) for the first time since February 3, 2007. Coach John Merritt says, “The varsity girls have been working for a long time to catch up to MICDS. Obviously, the Rams have a fantastic program, and we are doing our best to become competitive with them.”

JBS lost to MICDS 56-19 earlier this season, a result the team was “very disappointed in” according to Merritt. In that game, MICDS shot a scorching 53.1% overall from the field and nearly 90% from the free throw line. JBS, on the other hand, struggled from the field, an issue only magnified by MICDS’ rebounding advantage of 25 to 12.

Despite the score, captain Madison Fuller ‘19 asserts her belief “that we are capable of beating MICDS.” The key to that will be keeping pace with MICDS from the opening tip; in the last game, MICDS raced out to a 20-7 lead after the first quarter and held JBS scoreless in the second. JBS will also look to tighten up defensively. MICDS senior Kayla Work hit five three-pointers on eight attempts to lead the Rams in the previous match-up. Merritt voices his hope “to have a much better showing against them this time around.”

The boys’ game will immediately follow the end of this game. JBS currently sits atop the Metro League and boasts a 12-7 overall record. MICDS sports a 10-10 overall record and 3-3 in conference, but they beat JBS 52-47 earlier in the season. The JBS boys will also look to end their own losing skid to MICDS, which stretches back to 2013.

For the boys to upend their rivals, they will need to be ready from the first possession. Coach Corey Frazier says, “We definitely learned that we have to get out to a faster start and execute on both ends of the court.” Leading scorer Jake Goldfarb ‘18 adds, “We should not have to rely on a second half comeback like we needed in the first game.  We did come all the way back in the first game, showing how playing well for 32 minutes would have changed the game.” As for changes to expect in this game, Frazier outlines, “We would like to dictate the tempo with our defense. Get them to play our style of basketball.”

A key to this game will be keeping MICDS off the free throw line. In the first game, the Rams scored 22 points off of 33 free throws, while JBS only attempted a total of 8 free throws. JBS will likely look to their advantages inside as well; in the first game, JBS grabbed 31 boards compared to MICDS’ 17. MICDS senior Austin Thompson accounted for 21 points, while Derrick Miller ‘19 scored 16 to pace JBS. Goldfarb says of the rematch, “This game is very important both for Metro League and because we simply want the win…. It would be great to finally get the job done.”

Both JBS teams are looking forward to the rivalry game. Fuller states, “This game in particular really stands for an opportunity for us to prove ourselves in front of the entire student body. Students should be excited for a great game and pumped atmosphere.” Goldfarb promises “what should be a competitive game between two evenly matched teams…. The players will put everything we have into the game on Friday and the positive support from our fans could really make a difference.”