In a world full of male-dominated sports, women have been overlooked and undervalued. Despite this, various sports are offered to female students at Marc Garneau Collegiate Institute, including basketball. This year, the MGCI Senior Girls Basketball Team had an outstanding season!

In the Toronto District School Board, the South Regional teams are split into two tiers based on skill level and performance in the previous year. Tier 1 teams are the higher-ranking teams, and Tier 2 are the secondary teams. The girls finished their regular season with a record of 4-2, ranking them second in Tier 2. In doing so, they made MGCI history by becoming the first-ever female basketball team to advance to the South Regional Playoffs. On 6 November during their semi-finals game, the Senior Girls overcame a 15-point deficit in the first quarter to win by a score of 44-40. They were able to mount a 20-point comeback in the second half and win the game by 4 points. Honorable mentions to Small Forward Laksha Sivakumar who led the team with 25 points and Point Guard Dihana Manning for finishing the game with 19 points. After defeating Forest Hill CI in the regional semi-finals, they went on to become the runner-up of the Tier 2 South Regional Finals following a close game against Riverdale CI.

Small Forward Laksha Sivakumar expresses how personal this win is to her by saying, “A lot of us have been on the team since the beginning of high school, and this game means so much more than stats and rankings. It’s for all the little girls who dreamed of playing basketball and winning with their team one day. It feels amazing to win a medal, and I’m so proud of our entire team for a great season!” Their hard work has paid off after countless drills, practices, and injuries, as they are this year’s Tier II South Regional silver medalists. The team’s resilience, grind, and perseverance will inspire many girls to recognize their potential and pursue their passion for basketball. When asked if she had any advice for girls considering joining the team, Shooting Guard Leah Naidu said “Try out, I guarantee you won’t regret it. These last three years on the basketball team have been the pinnacle of my high school career. Basketball is such a gratifying sport, and we need more girls representing our school!”

Although the senior girls’ season has ended, their legacy will live throughout the school for years to come. They will always be remembered as the first girl’s basketball team in Marc Garneau’s history to bring home a medal. This is only the beginning of many accomplishments for MGCI’s future female basketball teams. Make sure to check out the MGCI Athletics Instagram page for their season highlights!