Alumni Weekend Basketball Delivers Drama and a Pair of Memorable Games

Pine Tree Academy Alumni Weekend continued Saturday night with two basketball games that brought former and current Breakers together in the gym for a memorable night of competition.

The alumni women provided the night's most dramatic finish, defeating the current student girls 30–28 on a buzzer-beater from Brittany Verrill. Later, the current student boys jumped out to a commanding early lead and held off the alumni men for a 65–48 victory.

Alumni Women 30, Current Student Girls 28

The current student girls came out strong in the 7:30 p.m. opener, taking a 9–4 lead after the first quarter behind Chantal Mbonimpa, who scored all nine of the students' points in the period.

The alumni began working their way back into the game during the second quarter, although the students still carried a five-point advantage into halftime.

The comeback continued after the break. By the end of the third quarter, the alumni had erased the deficit and built a five-point lead of their own.

That set up a back-and-forth final quarter, with the outcome remaining undecided until the final possession.

With the game tied late, Brittany Verrill provided the dramatic finish, hitting a buzzer-beater to give the alumni women a 30–28 victory.

Scoring for the alumni was spread among a number of players on an especially large roster of 11 former Breakers, possibly a record turnout for the alumni women's game. The current student team also featured a large roster with 12 players.

Mbonimpa led the students with 16 points. Emma O’Brien added five, Lisette Hakizimana scored four, and Maddie Jones finished with three. Those four accounted for all 28 student points.

Alumni Weekend brought together a deep group of former and current players, but it was Verrill's shot at the buzzer that provided the lasting moment from the women's game.

Current Student Boys 65, Alumni Men 48

The current student boys wasted little time establishing control in the 9:00 p.m. game, exploding for 24 points in the opening quarter and taking a 24–9 lead over the alumni.

From there, however, the game was remarkably even.

Both teams scored 13 points in the second quarter and 15 points in the third. The current Breakers held a slight 13–10 advantage in the fourth quarter to finish off the 65–48 victory.

After the students built their 15-point advantage in the opening period, the alumni played them nearly even the rest of the night. Over the final three quarters, the students held just a 41–39 scoring advantage.

Rhett Tyson led the current Breakers with 16 points, while Collin Verrill scored 14 and Lucky Kabeya added 12.

The scoring extended well beyond the team's leading trio, with eight different current players finding the scoresheet during the victory.

The opening quarter ultimately proved decisive. The students' 24–9 start gave them an advantage they never surrendered, even as the alumni matched them nearly point for point over the final three periods.

Together, the two games provided a fitting conclusion to the basketball portion of Alumni Weekend. The women's game came down to the final shot, while the men's game showcased both the fast start of the current Breakers and a competitive response from the alumni.