It's Saturday March 21, 2015 and our Bulldogs are sweating bullets. As the seconds tick away, it is obvious we are down to the wire but these dogs are unyielding - they are not about to give up! Months of relentless practice & demanding drills have prepared these boys for moments like this and sure enough, the buzzer signals the end of the game and the Ditmas JV Basketball team takes the NYC Middle School Basketball League – Brooklyn Division Championship, defeating their worthy opponents, Shellbank M.S. 14: 56 to 54!

“It came down to the last two free throws – with three seconds left!” recalls Coach Diaz. “But those three seconds were enough for Shellbank to tie... Thankfully, our defense caused them to lose the ball when the clock went off & then - YES! We won the game! Seconds after the buzzer, we see Rashaun collapse on the floor out of sheer relief - he gave 110%, playing for almost the entire game. Every team member played their heart out, but I’m sure each of us would like to thank Max for cinching those free throws that won us the game!”

It was an exciting game led by Max Ragusa and Rashaun Mchgie. The game's defensive MVP was Chris Merino. Incidentally, our Junior Varsity Bulldogs managed to become the first Brooklyn JV team to win a championship game in NYCMSBL history. And supported by the grand tutelage of Coach T, Coach D, Coach C & Coach X, our beloved Bulldogs are going to the “All City Tournament of Champions” to play for the New York City title championship on April 18, 2015 at Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx.

Humble as ever, Coach T likes to keep it low key. She keeps it real with all her players & this is why she commands respect on & off court. The teams undergo grueling military style practices, four days a week. They train together & build skills independently. When probed for comment, Coach T is beaming: 

“First and foremost, I would like to congratulate the Junior Varsity basketball team for winning the Brooklyn championships. This is the first of many wonderful things to come. Stand tall & be proud. But, let us not forget how we got here! Let’s train harder, work smarter, and practice powerfully to achieve & produce all of the goals that we set forth for ourselves this school year! Our boys varsity team & our girls bb-team are driven, they practice just as hard as JV, and I am proud of all of our players – so proud of the time & energy they invest in becoming the absolute best – Go Bulldogs!!"

Congrats to our JV Bulldogs: Mohammed Alif, Rashaun Mcghie, Kareem Moody, Christopher Moreno, Max Ragusa, Malique Reid, Nordon Reid & Jonathan Shinn.

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