A Basket Full of History

By Emma Galgano

The Harvey girls varsity basketball team has made Harvey proud with their outstanding and record-breaking season. Last year, the girls Varsity record was 4-10, and they had an excellent showing in the HVAL playoffs, despite falling short in the semifinals. However, the team has come back better than ever!

Ms. Victoria Shopovick and Ms. Felicia Peterson coach the team. Before the season started, Coach Shopovick stated, as reported on the Harvey website, “We’re excited to have a really great season this year, and we look to increase our wins from last year and make it deep into the playoffs.”

The roster consisted of a substantial number of seniors, including captain Kira Ortega at point guard, Emi Knauer at forward, Jordan Latta at guard and small forward, Celia Baer, 2022’s top leader in rebounds at forward, Juliet Jaques at guard and small forward, and Liz Hurley at guard and small forward.

The team also consisted of juniors: captain McKensi Forde at shooting guard and small forward, Fernanda Alexandre at shooting guard and small forward, Mariona Bascunana Amat at guard and small forward, and Grace Alpern at guard. The team also included two ninth graders: Amani Carty at forward and Peyton Forde at guard.

The girls opened their season with an impressive victory over Masters, allowing them to qualify for the Peg Duggan Tournament at Horace Mann School in Riverdale against Inwood Academy. The team continued their victorious run at the tournament with a final score of 5122. Some game standouts include the Tournament MVP McKensi, who put up 11 points, junior Fernanda with 17 points, Peyton with her outstanding defense and 13 points, and Kira with eight points and several steals.

In the next game, the team defeated their first HVAL opponent, Westover, making their league record 1-0 and overall record 3-0.

On Dec.14, the team put in an extraordinary effort against HVAL rival Watkinson, despite their heartbreaking loss by one point, making the final score 57-56. This made the team’s league record 1-1.

After the game, Coach Shopovick said, “Even with the score going back and forth, they kept their composure and didn’t let it affect their game. Every player stepped up and knew what they needed to do. I couldn’t be more proud of the girls.”

After the Winter Break, on Jan. 4, the players returned with their win against HVAL opponent Christian Heritage, with a final score of 65-28. The team’s star players of the game included Peyton, Kira, Fernanda, and McKensi. The team then continued their winning streaks with an outstanding performance against HVAL revival Westover in a 68-24 victory. Three days later, they beat another HVAL opponent, Forman, 76-39.

In the next three games, the team continued their winnings with all of the game’s final scores consisting of the Cavs being 20 points ahead of the other team.

Despite their loss against the highly acclaimed New York Military Academy, the girls hopped back into their winning streak in a hard-fought game against Holy Child on Jan. 28. In this game, Kira showed off her skills, as she went six for six on 3-pointers and finished the game with a team-high of 19 points. This victory vaulted Harvey into a first-place tie with Watkinson, as both of their HVAL standings were 8-1.

On Feb. 6, it was Senior Day, and the Fenstermacher Athletic Center was decorated with bright, love-filled posters of each senior. The team went against The Wooster School and defeated the Generals despite a close first quarter. Coach Shopovick stated, “When the second quarter started, they knew what they needed to do. They started to lock their defense up, forcing turnovers and coming back with a basket.”

In honor of Senior Day, senior Emi Knauer, a four-year varsity player, stated, “Getting to know all the people on the team has been genuinely one of the best parts of my year, and I am so grateful to be on a team that is so supportive of one another.”

The players then won their next two games against Williams School and The King School. These wins improved their HVAL standing to 12-1 and their overall Cavs record to 18-2. In the next game, the players continued their winnings ways by defeating The Frederick Gunn School by a 20-point margin.

Then on Feb.18, in a 68-38 victory against Forman, girls made Harvey history by obtaining 20 victories and becoming the first varsity team in Harvey’s basketball program to reach that record. Initially, the 1994-95 boys Varsity Basketball team held the record with their 19win record.

Coach Shopovick celebrated this accomplishment by stating, “The girls played amazing. I couldn’t be prouder of the way they played.” After the game, Harvey Communications reported, “Harvey Director of Athletics Ray Lacen waved the team over to line up at center court where he saluted a team that had just made school history. The team threw their arms up in celebration and embraced the cheers the home fans sent their way.”

The team then went on to defeat Watinkson in the Championship game in front of a huge crowd. This officially made the team 2022-23 champions of the Housatonic Valley Athletic League!

The Pulse would like to congratulate the girls varsity basketball team on their highly successful season and on making Harvey history!

Update:

STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT ISSUE OF THE PULSE, WHICH WILL FEATURE AN ARTICLE ON THE BOYS VARSITY BASKETBALL TEAM AND THEIR SUCCESSFUL SEASON!

Dear Editor,

The Pulse Staff

Editor-in-Chief/Layout

Emma Galgano

Sports Editor

Dan Gasch

Benji Cutler

Spencer Elkind

Bradley Lederer

Razi Tanksley

Jonah Weinstock

Hudson Zamacona

Faculty Advisor

Virginia Holmes

Did Phase 4 Achieve its Purpose?

Ever since the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) returned in 2021, there’s been a lot of hate thrown around at their “Phase 4 and the Multiverse Saga.” People have criticized its lack of direction, lower quality, and high output. But what if I were to tell you these criticisms have been entirely overblown? While I wouldn’t say “Phase 4” was a success, I can say that it accomplished its sole purpose: to expand the world of the MCU.

First, let me address the drop in quality. People have pointed out many problems in recent MCU projects, mainly with writing, and I can’t disagree with that assessment. But I also cannot say it’s gotten worse. Some movies might have received lower Rotten Tomatoes scores than other MCU entries, but audience scores have remained well above 70%. It’s not like the previous phases were devoid of mistakes, either (think of “ or e Dark World” and “Iron Man 2”), but now they’re being looked at through rose-colored glasses.

Another thing worth pointing out is the Disney+ television shows made by Marvel continue to receive great reviews. Even “She-Hulk: Attorney At Law,” a show that was put on blast by the Internet for its entire run, holds an 87% critic score. So, at least according to critics, Marvel’s television has kept up the quality we’d expect.

e second complaint is the increased output of content from Marvel. In 2021, Marvel put out four movies and ve shows with more content than ever. Needless to say, this le many fans feeling fatigued with Marvel as a whole, leading Marvel to cut back to three movies and three shows for 2022. While this year has more than that planned, Marvel has indicated it plans on delaying shows such as “Echo” and “Agatha Coven of Chaos” in order to not oversaturate the market.

And for those complaining about fatigue, let me remind you that you don’t have to watch all the shows. Only two of them so far, “WandaVision” and “Loki,” have had a substantial impact across the wider universe. e rest are side stories you can probably skip if you want. You don’t have to watch everything to understand where the MCU is going anymore. Regardless, I think Marvel has found an appropriate level of output for future years to avoid tiring out its audience.

Finally, I can’t agree with a lack of direction. People who complain about the lack of direction are acting like anos was in every movie, when in reality, he only had about 10 minutes of total screen time before “Avengers In nity War.” Compare that to Kang the Conqueror, who will serve as the main villain in the third Ant-Man lm before presumably having multiple appearances leading up to “Avengers Kang Dynasty.” So, in my opinion, the Multiverse Saga has even more direction than the In nity Saga.

e point of “Phase 4” was not to build up to the epic Avengers movies we’ll get one day. It was to rebuild a er the previous saga and introduce new characters and new stories. Shang-Chi, the Eternals, Ms. Marvel, and Moon Knight are just a few of them. ey are set to be the main players going forward into the more focused Phases 5 and 6. In addition, the less focused nature of Phase 4 allowed directors such as Sam Raimi, Chloe Zhao, and Micheal Giacchino to have more creative freedom. And, if I recall correctly, that is what we fans wanted: for projects to feel di erent and not stick to a basic superhero movie formula!

Pulse Staff

So in that regard, Phase 4 accomplished exactly what it needed to do. It introduced audiences to new, charismatic heroes that will push the universe forward. It showed us new sides of the MCU that had never seen before and gave directors increased creative freedom to help esh out those new corners. ough heavy-hitters like the Fantastic Four and the X-men are still a few years out, we can rest assured knowing the universe is in safe hands until then, and hopefully, the remaining two phases in the Multiverse Saga will regain the high quality that the MCU was known for in the late In nity Saga.

Sincerely,

Spencer Elkind