Week #25 - Champions!! MS Girls Win Inaugural Grymes Tournament Title, MS Boys Win Big to Take Third!

Dave Levy, Athletic Director
Middle School Girls Basketball - Congratulations to the Tandem Middle School Girls Basketball Badgers, Champions of the Inaugural Grymes Invitational Tournament! The last two days were an absolute blast, and was such an extraordinary way to wrap up a magical season! The team has improved SO MUCH, and to illustrate that, please indulge me as I share a short timeline below.
 
November 12, 2025
With crutches at her side, Hadley sat in a chair at the elbow, setting up her teammates in passing drill. We moved her chair around - sometimes she was a passer, or a ball handler, or maybe a rebounder. The team looked different then. Sunrise, despite my daily invitations, had not joined the team. Cora had not become the incredible rebounding force she is now, and Cypress had not yet scored six straight points in practice. Zuri had not yet added a plethora of post moves. Hattie already had an amazing basketball IQ, but the full version of her aggressiveness had not yet arrived. Zoey had not yet led the team in scoring for three consecutive games, Raquel had not made a barrage of jump shots, and Sam had not yet become a confident point guard.
December 4, 2025
The 2025-2026 Middle School Girls Basketball Badgers took the floor for the first time. Sam played all 24 minutes, running the offense, and scoring the first basket of the season off of the press. It was only our first game, but this team was already flawlessly running a half court triangle offense, and scoring! The Badgers got key baskets from Zuri and Zoe, and led 8-4, but were unable to score late in the game and lost a close one, 9-8.
 
December 11, 2025
Now cleared to play, Hadley leapt out of the chair. On the road at CCS, she is as aggressive as any player you've ever seen, picking up two fouls almost instantly. Hadley spends much of the game on the bench, in foul trouble. Zoey keeps the Badgers in the game, scoring 6, while Raquel had a big jumper late! The Badgers lost a tough one 24-17.
 
January 13, 2026
The Badgers held CCS to 9 points, including a scoreless second quarter! Hadley leads the team with 13 points, Zuri and Zoey each have 3 (plus Zuri has double digit rebounds as usual), and the Badgers win their second game in a row! CCS's point guard, who had 10 points in December, is held to a mere 3 points by Sam's incredible defense! Sam had six blocks!
 
January 22, 2026
Tandem travels to Grymes for a rematch of opening day. After scoring just eight points in November, the Badgers scored nine... in the first quarter! Cora made her first start of the season, Sunrise scored, Cypress brought her best and assisted Zuri! Hattie took over the point guard position for the first time! The Badgers defeated their opponent 24-16, a massive difference from the 9-8 loss in the first game of the season.
 
February 13, 2026 - Grymes Invitational Tournament Semi-Finals
The press was everywhere, with Zoey at the top and Sam and Hadley trapping! With an 8-0 lead after the first quarter, and Cora's first basket of the season, the Badgers defeated Summit 18-10, advancing to the championship game! Zoey had a steal and transition lay-up late to put the game away!
 
February 14, 2026 - Grymes Invitational Tournament Championship
Having split the season series, Grymes came out with a lot of confidence on their home court. They scored the first four points, both from mid-range jump shots. After a quick Tandem timeout, just as she has done throughout the season, Sam scored a fifteen-foot jump shot of her own. Wasting no time, she immediately got into the press. When Sam was not scoring, she was focusing on Grymes's talented point guard. Back in January, it was Sam who decided in the huddle to go to a box and 1, and Sam who took on the defensive assignment!
 
With Sam blanketing her opponent, Zuri had steal after steal in the middle of the floor. Zuri finished the game with four points, eight steals and eleven rebounds - a standard day at the office for our incredible starting center! Tandem's defensive pressure was so intense that we held Grymes scoreless for the last four minutes of the quarter. Hadley found Zuri on the block late in the period, and Tandem took a 6-4 lead.
 
Zoey was everywhere in the second quarter, working with Hattie at the top of the zone. Zoey deflected nearly every pass, and then dove on the floor to secure the loose balls. Her effort was hard to miss - she was later named to the all-tournament team! Hadley got to the basket but she truly had to work for it. Grymes defense was focused on stopping her, which is an impossible task. An excellent passer today, Sam found Zuri on the block who scored and drew the contact for a foul! Late in the quarter, Grymes went on a run and cut into the lead with Zoey and Zuri both on the bench in foul trouble for a long stretch.
 
The Badgers led 10-8 with 2.6 seconds on the clock. Zoey, our savvy inbounds passer, waited for Zuri to set the screen for Hadley who spun and made an epic buzzer beater, giving Tandem a two possession edge, 12-8. Hadley's offensive prowess continued in the third quarter in a big way. She scored an early layup, weaving through the defense. With Sam draped all over #12, Hadley stole the ball, and scored again. She had a third basket in the paint before Gymes called timeout, and went on to score 10 in the third quarter alone! Hadley finished with 15, and was named to the all-tournament team! She also assisted Sam who beat her defender down the floor for an eight-foot jumper!
 
In the final period, the Badgers held Grymes to just one basket. Sunrise and Hattie worked together on the left side of the floor to execute triangle, and Hattie took some awesome shots. Sunrise and Cora worked hard on the other side of the floor to rebound and give Tandem extra possessions. Cora was powerful in the middle! Raquel took over the inbounds passing duties, and showed off her range from the outside as well! Late in the period, Hattie faked her defender out of her shoes! She drove to her right, shot the ball, and drew a foul. Both of her free throws had perfect technique! 
 
The Badgers held Grymes under five points in all four quarters this afternoon. With elite defense and special performances from our eighth graders, the Badgers are victorious - winning the Inaugural Grymes Invitational Tournament Championship! If this timeline doesn't make it clear, I am incredibly proud of the growth of this team this season - these nine special people improved at an astronomical rate, scoring 25 today after only 8 in our first game, and defeating three different teams the second time we saw them! All the while, we had a massive amount of fun - spending the last two days together was such a joy! Congratulations, Middle School Badgers! Thanks for all of your hard work! What a season!
 
Middle School Boys Basketball - It has been a special season for the Middle School Basketball Boys, playing without any eighth graders this season. Trenton lit up the court against Grymes to open the season, scoring sixteen points - including three triples! A week later, playing on the road for the first time, Trenton had FIVE threes... One of them an unbelievable half-court buzzer beater (I knew it was good when it left his hands) and 24 points total, as he and Jayceon worked together to give Tandem an epic 44-33 victory against CCS!
 
To wrap up the calendar year, the Middle School Boys took on CCA at home, and Kai, Trenton and Jayceon each scored in double digits to give the Badgers a winning record going into the holidays. 2026 started much the same way, as the 6th Grade boys took on James River at home. The Badgers won 36-10, with Will scoring his first basket of the season, and Kai, Eli and Isaiah all scoring in double digits.
 
Tandem played their absolute best at CDS last week - despite a seven-point halftime deficit, the team battled back, executing a beautiful half court offense. Trenton directed traffic, was a defensive pest (as always - he averages four steals a game) - and the squad came all the way back to take the lead late in the contest. What an exceptional team effort, positioning the boys to excel down the stretch.
 
Prior to the tournament, we saw seven different players score in the 6th Grade game at James River, including Bo, Gabriel, Will and Landon - who hit a three (and then did it again today!). So it was not a surprise when the Badgers had NINE different players score this afternoon! In the opening period, Ryan got the scoring going with a deep three from the wing, and Aven later followed that up with a triple of his own! Trenton and Eli both earned trips to the line, and Isaiah battled for rebounds down low! Hatcher was everywhere defensively, with multiple deflections.
 
Tandem led 10-2 after the first quarter, and Trenton already had three steals. His back court pressure was relentless, playing with his feet but going for the steal at exactly the right time, as the ball was about to hit the ground. He assisted Elias, open on the block, for a key bucket in the second. Moments later, Will used a smooth pump and clear move, and while his defender was in the air, Will scored a big time basket.
 
With Odin and Gabriel getting nearly every rebound, the Badgers led 19-9 at the break. In the third quarter, Kai came out hot, knocking in two three pointers off the dribble. Trenton also shot the ball with confidence, and he scored two threes as well! Landon got in on the party, and Tandem scored fourteen points in that third period, while holding their opponent to just three. The Badgers led 33-12 going into the final stanza.
 
Bo assisted Ryan for his second three of the day, deep in the corner. Bo was everywhere today, tracking down loose balls and keeping the offense in motion. The Badgers backed out of their press, but continued to play hard until the final whistle as they have done throughout the season. This squad got to end the season on a well-deserved win, taking third place in the tournament, and Coach Lauren and I are so proud of their efforts!
 
Special shoutout to DEV!!!! She is the best manager in the entire world, keeping track of statistics for ALL FOUR OF THE FOLLOWING TEAMS: Middle School Girls, Middle School Boys, JV Boys AND Varsity Boys. We appreciate you, Dev! You are a hero. Thank you!
 
Finally, there were some awesome statistical milestones reached this season:
- Kai and Trenton both scored over 100 points! What an epic back court!
- Zuri had double digit rebounds in every single game!
- Hadley, Zoey and Kai were all selected to the All-Tournament team!
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Tandem Friends School is a co-ed Quaker day school for grades 5-12 in Charlottesville, Virginia.
 
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