Finley-Blue Girls’ Basketball Showcases Players

The J. Taylor Finley Middle School “blue” girls’ basketball team showcased a group of future Blue Devil stars. The team “won some and lost some,” including a pair of three point defeats. But the players never lost their confidence, which grew by leaps and bounds.

Coached by Flower Hill physical education teacher Timothy Madden, the 15 player team was led by eighth graders Cassidy Harris, Claire Dello-Iacono, Timeyah Hardge, Mo’Naya Dennis and Jaylah Morgan-Page.

“Cassidy is an outstanding competitor,” Madden said. “She is a true leader on the court. She gives relentless effort each and every day. Clare gives tremendous effort, which led to a ton of steals that were converted to many scoring opportunities for our team.”

Forwards Hardge and Dennis also made their presence felt. “Timeyah has improved greatly throughout the season,” Madden said. “She was a threat on offense and a very good defender. “Mo’Naya is a very talented basketball player with unlimited potential.”

Finley has two girls’ basketball with one designated by Section XI as “blue” and the other, “white” in a nod to the school district’s colors of blue and white.

“Our best team accomplishment happened in a game against Kings Park,” Madden said. “We were down by 12 points going into the last quarter. We never gave up and gave Kings Park everything it could handle to the final buzzer. We put on constant full court pressure, which resulted in steals, points and many free throw opportunities to class our way back into the game. Cassidy Harris, Claire Dello-Iacono, Violet Palacios, Timeyah Hardge and Shea Gilroy’s collective effort made the game incredibly exciting, but unfortunately it ended up as a three point loss. But it wasn’t for a lack of effort!”

The roster also included Valentina Diaz Gonzalez, Leah Edwards, Khloe Graham, Michelle Jean Baptiste, Riley Lewis, Nicolina Santoli, Isabella Ulloa and Briana Velis Figueroa.

“This team was such a pleasure to coach,” Madden said. “They had fun, strengthened and created new friendships and improved their basketball skills. Many of the girls were new to the game of basketball. They gave great effort to learn and improve their skills.”