When the alumni leave, it’s up to the underclassmen to step up and fill the holes they left behind. One player in particular did that this year on Rush’s very own Lady Knights Basketball Team, and led her team through perilous battles and brought them out on top. This player was none other than the new captain and senior herself, Ke’airah Massiah (#24). Massiah’s potential mimics that of a lion trapped within a cage that’s roaring to be released, so it was inevitable that she would show her teammates the way.

The starting lineup for our lady knights usually consisted of Ke’airah Massiah (#24), Sydney Corimes (#23), Kylah Perez (#20), Jaelyn Henry (#11), and Sarah Rodriguez (#2). Massiah led the team with her lightning fast cuts and knack for breaching the enemy lines. Corimes, currently in her junior year, tanked up charges, set up powerful picks, and watched for the rebound. Similarly, Perez, also in her junior year, played down low to catch the rebound and redistribute the ball, her long reach and height was very effective during defensive plays. Henry, a new sophomore on the team, surprisingly received a lot of play time this season due to her swift adaptability and talent. She has shown potential as both a point guard, with her eye for passing and bringing the ball down the court, as well as a shooting guard, with her accurate three pointers. Though Rodriguez was the main sniper who always took the three whenever she could, Henry and Massiah stepped up to fill that void when Rodriguez took a leave of absence from the team towards the end of the season. Alternative starters who took her spot varied from game to game.

The offensive strategy was similar to a cavalry raid, with Massiah being the leading force creating an open path straight down the middle for her teammates to work with. Massiah was a very aggressive and smart player this season, racking up fouls on the other team as much as she could. Because of this it was common to see Massiah in the nest taking her free shots. However, Massiah wasn’t only the powerhouse, she was also the perfect target for misdirection. Since the opposing teams needed at least two players to guard Massiah efficiently, a spot was open for one of the Lady Knights to create a play of their own. Since Massiah’s eagle eye was constantly watching the passing lanes for a chance to steal, the opposing teams had to keep more of an eye on her and less on the rest of the team. This misdirection allowed players like Rodriguez and Henry to blast threes off of a pass from Massiah on the inside. It seems fitting that the captain of the Lady Knights attracted all of the attention from the opposite team onto herself to create an opening for her teammates.

The defensive strategy this time around was more focused on defending the net at all costs. In order to ensure this, a tight zone defense was put in place, putting the opponent in the awkward position where they’d have to take a risky ranged shot or attempt to go straight into enemy territory, where three blockers could be right on you in an instant. The taller players like Perez, Corimes, and Midori Rainford (#40) were very effective for this type of play.

Overall the girls had a great season with 6 wins and 2 losses for home games and 6 wins and 4 loses for away games. The schools the girls conquered (not by forfeit) include Overbrook (34-31), Lincoln (33-31), Robeson Human Services (48-35), West Philadelphia (37-32), Parkway Northwest (49-46), Roxborough (46-38), Masterman (61-37), CAPA (49-34), Philadelphia Performing Arts (49-34), MAST Community Charter (44-33), and Randolph Vo-Tech (37-29). With the seniors, first year player Midori Rainford (#40) and four year player Ke’airah Massiah (#24) leaving, the lady knights will need to come up with a plan to make up for the loss of such a powerhouse player. Fortunately, Massiah left her mark on the team, metaphorically, through passing her knowledge onto them, and literally with her 1,000 point celebration at her last game. The Lady Knights will be a completely new team next year, but they’ll always be fighting alongside their graduating alumni, so stick around to see what these fierce ladies have in store next year!

Written by: Michael Beaumont