By: Simone Schwartzbard ’29, Daniella Raich ’29
Like winter itself, the 2025-2026 winter sport season had its ups and downs, but our teams and athletes pushed through! Both boys’ and girls’ basketball had exciting winning seasons, showing strong improvement from past years. Club squash had a great second season, and we even had some TLS representatives on a local hockey team! Continue reading for an in-depth recap of all of these sports.
Girls varsity basketball co-captain, junior Taya Schwartzbard, felt the team had a great season, despite ending in a disappointing and unfair way.
“We did really well; we actually had a winning record compared to other seasons where we won maybe two or three games,” Schwartzbard said. “The girls’ team was not told we were eligible for the playoffs until the week of, which also happened to be break. Whereas the boys’ team was told not to go away [on vacation because they were going to the playoffs]. This was just kind of sprung on us. I am very proud of us for earning a playoff spot, and it might seem we are uncommitted, but I don’t think it’s fair, especially because we are not treated the same as the boys”.
Schwartzbard went on to say that she and many of her teammates feel they are treated unfairly compared to the boys by faculty and other students. This is evident by the lack of fans at girls’ games and the much greater amount of effort poured into the boys’ season by coaches and administrators. With that being said, Schwartzbard rated her season a 7/10 for the overall improvement of the team.
Compared to the improving record of girls varsity basketball, girls JV basketball player, sophomore Orli Zucker, explained they had a frustrating season but felt the support of their coach through it all.
“We ended with a 4-4 record; it was an okay season, we could have done better, but we also could have done worse,” Zucker said. “I love my coach a lot because he is very supportive and knows what we need to work on”.
Zucker tells us that she rates the season a 6/10 and hopes the girls’ JV basketball can improve to build a strong future for TLS girls’ basketball.
On the boys’ side of the court, JV player sophomore Ethan Kay relays that the JV boys had a successful season. Similar to the JV girls, Kay explained that he felt supported by his coaches and older players.
“The coaching staff did a really good job of supporting each player and their individual skills,” Kay said. “They gave us advice, it felt like they truly cared about the program’s future.”
Kay notes that the varsity players clearly showed interest in helping the JV to create a strong overall boys basketball kehillah for the 25’-26’ season. Speaking of varsity, freshman boys’ varsity player Jeremy Seiden says that they had a good season and a good playoff run, ending in a surprising way.
“We did pretty well, we got to a second-round playoff game, but we could have done better, and our coach wanted us to do better [in the regular season],” Seiden said. “Nobody thought we could win the playoff game, so the fact that we won the first one was surprising without the seniors”.
Seiden rates the season a 9/10 overall and is proud of how the team did, especially with the seniors leaving and them making up most of the team.
As one of the two TLS lion hockey players, freshman Gavin Cohen believes his merged local hockey team had a successful season, finishing with a 14-4 record. Although they played some very exciting matches, Cohen is discouraged by the lack of school support and spirit at games.
“I’d like it to have more attention, but I can’t do anything about it,” Cohen said. Still, Cohen said he is “actually happy” that the team merged with another school and rated the season a high 9/10. He hopes the program can improve in future years by holding more practices and gaining more attention from students, adding that he felt supported and encouraged by his coaches and teammates through the season.
When asked what she would rate the season out of ten, second-year club squash player, sophomore Hannah Tobin, said that she would prefer better coaching where she learned more basics and had more matches, but rated it an 8/10.
“For me, I just really enjoy squash,” Tobin explained. “That hour of practice is a quick escape. It is an hour to be free from school stress and have fun with friends. It is a lifelong sport.”
As the snow starts to melt and the fields begin to defrost, our spring sport teams start to prepare for 2026! Softball, baseball, track and field, and boys tennis all start practice soon for an unforgettable and exciting spring run! Make sure to sign up for any sports you’re interested in. Stay tuned for the teams’ schedules and support your fellow lions!
