NO DOUBTING THOMAS: Hun School girls’ basketball CeeJay Thomas drives to the hoop last Saturday as Hun faced Mercersburg Academy (Pa.) the Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) Tournament semifinals. Senior forward Thomas scored five points and grabbed nine rebounds to helped second-seeded Hun edge third-seeded Mercersburg 49-47 in the contest. A day later, the Raiders fell 85-38 to top-seeded Blair Academy in the MAPL final to end the winter with a 23-6 record. (Photo by Steven Wojtowicz)

By Bill Alden

The emotions swirled for CeeJay Thomas as the Hun School girls’ basketball team hosted Peddle last Thursday in the Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) Tournament quarterfinals.

“It was a little bittersweet knowing this was my last time with this team on this court,” said senior forward Thomas. “I wanted to give it my all.”

Asserting herself in the paint, senior forward Thomas gave Hun a lift, scoring four points as Hun reeled off a 19-0 run to begin the game.

“I think I was just attacking the ball, going hard, being dominant,” said Thomas. “I was proud of the way we started, we could have limited our turnovers more. Against other teams in MAPL, that won’t be allowed.”

Thomas ended up with 13 points and six rebounds as the Raiders rolled to a 77-36 win over the Falcons.

“It was a confidence builder, most definitely, but we also worked on things,” said Thomas.

Over the course of the winter, Hun has displayed a knack for working the ball around.

“The way we share the ball I don’t think has been talked about enough,” said Thomas. “We share the ball so well this year compared to last year. There are times when I am on the bench and I am looking and it goes zoom, zoom, zoom, in and out.”

Having joined the Hun program last season, Thomas has looked to produce in the paint.

“At my previous school (Germantown Academy), it was more rebound and pass it up to a guard, it was a shot to my confidence a little bit,” said Thomas. “I feel as though transferring last year, I knew that coach [Sean] Costello needed me to be another scorer and rebound, dominate the post and get boards, and put backs.”

Hun head coach Costello liked the way his squad started against Peddie.

“We did what we had to do, we moved the ball well, and we shot the ball well,” said Costello, who got 24 points from junior guard Gabby D’Agostino in the win. “Everyone stepped up, it was good. At the end of the year, people are sick, people are injured. It was nice to see some kids step up and do some good stuff.”

Thomas certainly stepped up against Peddie. “CeeJay did great, they tried to take away some of the 3-point shots, they played a 1-2-2,” said Costello. “CeeJay was able to get into some gaps and do some damage.”

The pair of Thomas and fellow senior Amira Pinkett has given Hun a formidable one-two punch at forward.

“CeeJay and Amira have great for us,” asserted Costello. “They both do so much for us, sometimes on the scoresheet, sometimes on the glass, sometimes on defense. They are just good kids, they are good role models for the rest of the team.”

The Raiders played some very good defense against Peddie as they held the Falcons to 10 points in the first half.

“When we were really locked in, it worked out well,” said Costello. “When we make shots, we play better defense. I was happy with what we did. It is all in preparation for this weekend.”

Over the weekend, second-seeded Hun edged third-seeded Mercersburg 49-47 in the MAPL semis on Saturday before falling 85-38 to top-seeded Blair Academy a day later in the MAPL final.

“We are in good position in that the kids are playing good basketball,” said Costello, whose team ended the winter with a 23-6 record. “They understand what we want to do. We do share the ball.”

Thomas, for her part, was determined to give her all to the end.

“The laughs with the team,” said Thomas, when asked what will stand out about her Hun hoops experience. “We spend a lot of time together, there was a time where we were away, staying at a hotel every weekend. It is just play hard to last buzzer.”