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The young ladies of the John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science and the young men of the Dr. Albert D. Holland High School of Technology reign as city basketball champions of the Boston Public Schools following impressive victories in playoff competition.
The O’Bryant Tigers answered the challenge of second-year coach Shaleyse Smallwood, who said, “We should win the city title” at the team’s first practice. Smallwood, who played her high school ball at O’Bryant under Trudy Fisher, is one of the rare coaches who played on a city championship team as a senior in 2004 and later coached one.
When asked to compare the two experiences, Coach Smallwood said, “Winning as a player is not as fulfilling as leading a team to a championship as a coach. As a coach, you get to teach, game plan, and watch your team respond. I have a greater respect for Coach Fisher now that I am in the same position she held. She recommended me for this job while I was an assistant coach at Snowden High School.”
Ironically, Smallwood’s current squad would beat her former team, 51-39, in this year’s Boston Public School championship game.
O’Bryant’s Jniyah Cannon looks for an opening. PHOTO: JOE ALLEN
“As a coach, you credit your players for achieving the goal you set out for them,” said Smallwood. Such is the case with this year’s team, which carries an 18-2 record into the MIAA playoffs.
“I credit every one of my players for their hard work and the effort they put in to reach this goal of being city champions. This team, led by juniors Melissa Cuevas, Amira Mohamed, vocal leader Aissatou ‘Ice’ Bangura, and talented eighth-grade point guard Julia Manning, bought into the culture of hard work that I established. It is a fun group to be around because of the love and respect they show to each other,” Smallwood said.
On Monday, the 25th, the Tigers beat the Rockland Bulldogs, 34-27. After trailing 15-10 at halftime, Bangura and Nia Buyu turned up the defense, turning steals into transition points and helping O’Bryant overcome the five-point deficit. Two three-pointers from J’Niyah Cannon near the end of the contest helped the Tigers win their first playoff game.
After the game, Coach Smallwood said, “Our first half wasn’t our best. I knew we had a lot in the tank, and in the second half we settled down a bit, played our game, locked in, and we were able to pull it out.” The Tigers will face the number two-seeded Millis Mohawks on Thursday evening.
The Albert Holland School of Technology boys celebrate their City League victory over English High, 71-49. PHOTO: PATRICK O’CONNOR
With eight juniors returning next year, the future looks bright for the ladies’ basketball program at the John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science. They have brought pride to the name and legacy of one of Boston’s greatest civic leaders and educators.
The young men of Dr. Albert D. Holland School of Technology, formerly known as Jeremiah E. Burke High School, have also brought great honor to the local community with their 71-49 triumph over Boston English High School in the young men’s city championship division. Coach Chatman explained that “it is so hard to beat a team three times. I don’t care what level of basketball it is; it is hard to be the team three times in a month and a half.” The game was close in the first half, but the Bulldogs turned up the defense. “I just think that the pressure in the second half got to them. Their legs got a little heavy, and they turned the ball over a little bit more than they wanted to,” said Chatman.
Burke guard Malik Adamson drives by an English defender. PHOTO: JOE ALLEN
This time, Joe Chatman’s 17-win, three-loss squad finished the mission. Last year’s team, one of the most talented in Massachusetts, came up short of expectations. “We were up 16 points and didn’t close the door, bottom line, and we felt like last year the better team didn’t win, and that’s not taking anything away from them, but we didn’t close the door. Then against Bourne, [we were] up three and our best guy goes down,” said Chatman.
There is a difference between last year’s Bulldog group and this year’s squad. “This year’s team is healthy and ready for the challenge,” said Chatman. “We’re 17- 3, we’re city champs, which is our second goal, [and now] we have a chance to make a deep run in the States. It’s going to be tough, because there’s a lot of great teams out there, and we’ll see what happens. But we like our chances.”
Congratulations to the young ladies of John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science and the young men of Dr. Albert D. Holland High School of Technology on their city championship titles. Congrats also go out to the following city high school teams that made it to the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association basketball playoffs:
Young Ladies’ Division: John D. O’Bryant, Fenway, Latin Academy, Latin School, Boston United, Cash, New Mission, and Ruth Baston.
Young Men’s Division: Albert Holland Technical, Boston English, Brighton, Charlestown, Fenway, New Mission, Boston Boys, Latin Academy, John D. O’Bryant, Latin School, Boston United, Muniz Academy.
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