7/8 Grade Basketball Team Competes in 2011 NBA All-Star Jam Session Invitational

 

Marlborough’s 7/8 Grade Basketball Team, who claimed this year’s Delphic League Championship title following an undefeated season, recently participated in the 2011 NBA All-Star Jam Session Invitational. The tournament, which is part of the weekend of events affiliated with the NBA All-Star Game, showcased girls’ and boys’ teams from 32 public and independent middle schools across the Los Angeles area.

 

To advance to the tournament games played at the Los Angeles Convention Center February 17 -21, our girls had to first beat St. Jerome, which they did handily. Marlborough continued to dominate, beating Immaculate Heart followed by back-to-back wins against Windward and Dodson Middle School. The margin of victory in all games was at least 20 points. During the game with Immaculate Heart, Marlborough’s entire Varsity Basketball Team, following their own home-court win of a CIF play-off game, came down to the Convention Center to sit on the bench and cheer on the 7/8 Grade Team.

 

On Sunday, February 20, immediately following the wins against Windward and Dodson, some members of the 7/8 Grade Team headed over to the Galen Center to watch the USC women’s basketball team play against Cal. Competing on the court were former Marlborough teammates, Jade Smith ’09, a guard for USC, and Talia Caldwell ’09, a center for Cal. Smith and Caldwell were members of Marlborough’s 7/8 Grade Basketball Team during the 2004-2005 school year when they were 7th graders. They helped that team bring home the 2005 Jam Session Invitational Championship trophy, which was the last time the NBA All-Star Game was held in Los Angeles. This year, Marlborough once again advanced to the championship game with the hopes of defending the title.

 

Playing on the same court where the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game took place earlier in the weekend, Marlborough took on Portola Middle School. Though hard-fought, Marlborough was ultimately defeated by a final margin of only eight points.

 

Congratulations to the team members—Taryn A. ’15, Lena E. ’15, Samara K. ’15, Cece M. ’15, Aurora O. ’15, Noa S. ’16, Lauren S. ’15, Alana W. ’16, Ashleah Y. ’15, Team Manager Amara C. ’15, and Coach Dion Thompson—for an impressive end to an even more impressive season.