Hot Start to the Basketball Season

Winning: Unfortunately, it’s not a word that has been associated with School Without Walls boys basketball in recent years. But this season, it’s all the boys’ team has been doing.

Kicking off the season with a home game against Burke, the Penguins hit their stride early with a 7-0 run and led at the end of the first quarter, 23-3. A light-scoring third quarter was the only blemish in a 60-21 steamrolling of Burke in front of the home fans. While the next two games were on the road, Penguin fans traveled. In front of a raucous crowd at E.L. Haynes, a key third quarter 7-0 run, capped off with a 3-pointer by Harry Megeath (‘24), halted the Haynes momentum. The boys never looked back, closing out Haynes 64-56. The Latin atmosphere was no different, and the boys responded, outlasting the Lions 65-52 in a gritty fashion.

Much of the team’s recent success can be credited to its sophomore stars, Chdiire Nwokwu and Paul Joire. Nwokwu has been the team’s defensive cornerstone, picking opponents’ pockets a remarkable five times per game; he turns defense into offense, averaging 14.7 points per game. Meanwhile, it feels like Joire hasn’t missed a shot all year, shooting 68 percent from the floor (team: 42 percent) and 67 percent from the three-point line (team: 29 percent). Between the two of them, they’ve scored half of the team’s 63 points per game.

Captain Julius Cohen (‘23) highlighted their impact, noting, “They’re so dynamic defending and scoring the ball — without them, we might be looking at a losing record right now.”

As the boys’ varsity team moves into the tougher part of their season, momentum is on their side. With the backing of a newly passionate fanbase, the boys’ varsity team seems poised to make noise in the DCIAA this year.