4th Grade Champions!
By Samantha
Swish! Congratulations to our 4th-grade boys’ basketball A team who won the Championship game for division 3. The team is a mix of St. Anne students and a few AFY students. They all worked well together and pushed each other throughout their season. The boys had a great regular season winning all their games and taking championships was a great way to wrap up the season.
The Stars played Salesians and won the championship game 32 to 22. “It was a nerve-wracking game,” said Dash. The game started off close, and the boys were still warming up and shaking off their nerves during the first quarter. The quarter ended with a score of 4 to 6. “It was scary after the first quarter because we were down by two,” said Aeshaan. However, they started picking it up during the second quarter, and the momentum slowly began to shift to our side. Dash even had a buzzer-beater shot to end the half. St. Anne went into the third quarter with the lead of 14 to 11. After gaining their confidence back, they came into the third quarter strong. Determination filled their heads and aggressiveness and competitiveness were contagious throughout the team. Everyone wanted to win and they weren’t going to let up. They kept the lead going into the fourth quarter, and the score was 20 to 16. During the fourth quarter, the momentum was all on our side, and the boys made basket after basket. They were cheering each other on because they wanted to finish the game strong. Everyone was having fun on the court and the parents were cheering happily for the team. Finally, the game ended with the score of 32 to 22. All in all, this basketball season was a lot of fun and everyone enjoyed playing with each other. “Our coaches are great, we had a great season,” said Josh. “We’re awesome!” said Aeshaan.
By Samantha
Swish! Congratulations to our 4th-grade boys’ basketball A team who won the Championship game for division 3. The team is a mix of St. Anne students and a few AFY students. They all worked well together and pushed each other throughout their season. The boys had a great regular season winning all their games and taking championships was a great way to wrap up the season.
The Stars played Salesians and won the championship game 32 to 22. “It was a nerve-wracking game,” said Dash. The game started off close, and the boys were still warming up and shaking off their nerves during the first quarter. The quarter ended with a score of 4 to 6. “It was scary after the first quarter because we were down by two,” said Aeshaan. However, they started picking it up during the second quarter, and the momentum slowly began to shift to our side. Dash even had a buzzer-beater shot to end the half. St. Anne went into the third quarter with the lead of 14 to 11. After gaining their confidence back, they came into the third quarter strong. Determination filled their heads and aggressiveness and competitiveness were contagious throughout the team. Everyone wanted to win and they weren’t going to let up. They kept the lead going into the fourth quarter, and the score was 20 to 16. During the fourth quarter, the momentum was all on our side, and the boys made basket after basket. They were cheering each other on because they wanted to finish the game strong. Everyone was having fun on the court and the parents were cheering happily for the team. Finally, the game ended with the score of 32 to 22. All in all, this basketball season was a lot of fun and everyone enjoyed playing with each other. “Our coaches are great, we had a great season,” said Josh. “We’re awesome!” said Aeshaan.
Michael Jordan dunk - NBA all-star weekend By: Reyan Dalal
This year’s 2020 NBA all-star weekend was amazing. One of the big events was celebrating Michael Jordan’s historical dunk. Last time the all-star game was in Chicago, Michael Jordan leaped from the free-throw line fifteen feet to the basket ! His vertical jump was 4 feet. He jumped so high that his head was 6 inches above the rim. His feet would be at the same height as the other players’ heads! His vertical jump was 20 inches above an average NBA player’s vertical jump. Michael Jordan got a 50/50 on that dunk. People were astonished by this amazing dunk, and the judges almost fell out of their chairs. We had some of our very own St. Anne’s students attempt this dunk! Look below for more.
6th Grade B-Team; Basketball Champions By: Anthony Jin
During the final seconds of the game, the stands were going wild. The St. Anne’s 6th-grade basketball team was about to win a game against St. Paul, their main rival. Before, they had lost against them every time they played each other. This game, however, was going to be different. The Stars were not going to lose this time. This was also not like any other game because it was the championship, and the team had set their minds on winning. They were more aggressive and had learned from their last few games. As the game started, the stands were full of excitement. During the first quarter, they started off by taking the lead, 10 to 4. The game was off to a good start. After the 2nd quarter, the entirety of the stands was cheering. The two teams tried to outplay each other, both of them hoping to win the championship game. At the end of the game, the score was 40 to 34. After losing to St. Paul’s team twice, the Stars had finally won. After an intense rivalry that spanned across 3 games, the 6th-grade team pulled through with a victory. However, the team was extremely tired and had fought their best. The other team fought well, but the Stars had fought harder than them. The coaches and the rest of the team won their medals and the championship trophy. After all, according to one of the parents, “The third time’s the charm!” Afterward, there was a celebration and many pictures were taken.
Kobe Bryant's Death
By: Samantha Kobe Bryant, 41, was taking his 13-year-old daughter Gianna to a basketball tournament at the Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks when they and seven other people died in a helicopter crash. Their helicopter took off from Ontario airport and crashed around Calabasas, California, on a foggy Sunday morning on January 26, 2020. The fog was very dense that morning, which resulted in low visibility. The L.A. police helicopters were not allowed to fly due to the low visibility. However, Kobe’s pilot received special clearance to fly that morning. On the plane were two of Gianna’s teammates and their parents - Sarah Chester (age 45) and her daughter Payton Chester (13), assistant coach Christina Mauser (38), college baseball coach John Altobelli (56), his wife Keri Altobelli (46), and Alyssa Altobelli (14), and finally the pilot, Ara Zobayan (50). Five families are now broken due to this truly tragic accident. The Altobelli’s had two other children at home who have lost both of their parents and a sister. Coach Mauser had a husband and three little kids who now have to grow up without a mother. It is important to note that all nine people should be remembered in this tragedy. After learning about this sad news, many people laid flowers, cards, candles, and jerseys outside the Staples Center to commemorate his death. Ironically, on the night of his death, the Grammy’s music award show was held in the Staples Center. On this night of stars, Kobe’s star was shown the brightest as the Grammy’s opening acts all dedicated their performances to Kobe, in the arena that Kobe built. Kobe Bryant had a legendary career in the NBA. He entered the NBA directly from high school at the age of 17. He played for 20 seasons before retiring in 2016. He spent his entire 20-year career as a Los Angeles Laker, winning 5 NBA Championships, a league MVP in 2008, 2 time NBA Finals MVP, and 2 Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012. Later this year, he will be eligible to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. His acceptance to the Hall of Fame is almost a certainty. He is the only player to have two of his numbers (8 & 24) retired. What is more remarkable was in 2018, Kobe won an Academy Award for his animated short film, “Dear Basketball”. It was based on a poem that he wrote when he announced his retirement. Kobe had big plans for his next career in the entertainment industry where he wanted to tell stories. As the NBA mourned his death, NBA players paid tribute to Kobe by starting their games with both a 24-second shot clock violation and an 8 second half-court violation to commemorate his jersey numbers 8 and 24. Kobe was his generation’s biggest basketball star, and he is revered by all basketball players and fans around the world. He will be missed dearly. |