The winter sports season has come to an end at Atlantis, and it was a great one for both the boys and girls varsity basketball teams.
The girls’ varsity team showed great improvement over last season, finishing this season with a 6-7 record, one win shy of making the state tournament.
“Our girls remembered a lot of the principles we implemented during the 2018-2019 season,” said Coach Nathan Mello. “We hope to continue to build a program based on discipline and dedication. Next season we will be excited to continue to build on our success from this season.”
Coach Mello credits outstanding play from seniors Synthia Comas, Tanea Jackson, and 8th grader Sydney Bednarz for their success.
The boys’ varsity team made the playoffs for the second year in a row. They were the #14 seed in the South 4 Division. They faced the #3 Seed Old Colony on Wednesday (2/26). The Tritons played a good game, but lost 72-71.
“They showed the entire division that they are a team to be reckoned with,” said ACS Athletic Director Chad Gormly. “Next year many of our key players will be seniors, and more experienced. We are looking forward to our best season yet in the 2020-2021 season.”
Coach Logan McNamara says despite a rough, 2-7 start to the season, the team turned things around. They added in a few different full court defenses, started to limit turnovers, and began shooting the ball better. As a result of the players’ hard work, the team went on a seven-game win streak, led by captains Jamani Alves and Sean Murphy.
McNamara says Alves and Murphy have become celebrities at ACS and are commonly referred to as “Thunder and Lightning.”
“Alves (Thunder) has become our offensive juggernaut, averaging a double/double in back to back seasons,” said Coach McNamara. “He has worked hard on his ball handling and dribbling skills and has become a point/center. Alves is a highlight reel who can do it all. He is unstoppable in transition, often grabbing the defensive rebound and then immediately pushing the ball up the court, going coast to coast and finishing at the rim. He had 18 dunks in 17 games this year and had two games scoring 30+.”
“Murphy (Lightning) is the energizer and team leader for Atlantis,” McNamara continued. “He directs our offense and he has really developed his three-point shot. His passing mimics Ja Morant with his creativity and confidence. Murphy is also our best defender, leading our team in steals at 3 per game. In his best game of the year, Murphy made 7 three pointers and scored 31 points.”
| Murphy’s per/game averages: | 15 points | 4 rebounds | 4 assists | 3 steals | 1.5 blocks | 2 threes |
| Alves’ per/game averages: | 17.5 points | 10.5 rebounds | 2 assists | 2 steals | 2.5 blocks | 2 threes |
McNamara says Greg Cohill improved the most from the start of the season and became one of their best defensive players. Ronaldo Ribeiro also progressed over the course of the season, becoming a big part of the strong defense.
Now that the winter sports season is over, the athletic department is preparing for the start of the spring season. The middle school baseball team has its sights set on a 5th city championship, the high school JV softball team will be looking for its third consecutive winning season, and Gormly adds that the high school baseball team has a lot of young, talented players hoping for a winning season as well.