SICS boys and girls basketball teams in MIAA tournament

SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - It’s a historic year at Springfield International Charter School as both basketball programs are vying for a chance to be the best in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

“It’s amazing, it’s contagious. We know what our expectations are when any one of our teams step foot in that gym and that’s to put banners up,” said Springfield International Charter School head girls basketball coach Tyrone Reid.

The Springfield International Charter School boys and girls basketball teams have their eyes on the prize. Both are western Massachusetts champions and are currently competing in the “final four” of the MIAA statewide tournament. They could be days away from making history.

“Just dominate. Anybody who’s in front of us, just dominate and show that we’re one of the best teams in the city and in the state,” said Springfield International Charter School senior forward Kenneth Rogers Jr.

The girls defeated Sutton on Monday afternoon to advance to the state title game and the boys will face Burke on Wednesday afternoon in Worcester as they attempt to do the same. The girls basketball team has never won a state championship and the boys are looking to lift their first trophy in 13 years.

“At this point, our mentality is we don’t really have anything to lose. We’ve already accomplished so much there’s been so many great moments in the season,” said Springfield International Charter School head boys basketball coach Pat Ochoa.

Last season, the girls lost in the state semifinals. Junior superstar Alicia Mitchell, who’s rewriting the record books with her 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds, told Western Mass News that the loss drove her to get better and step up as a team leader this year.

“We got together for workouts. We did more team bonding since we had a lot more younger kids and teammates coming in. We tried to become closer as a team,” Mitchell explained.

Each team makes an effort to support the other and offer some pointers along the way.

“It’s a community thing. We cheer them on, they cheer us on, so it’s fine. [Reporter: they can take some tips from you?] They definitely can,” Mitchell added.

The message from coaches is to enjoy the moment and put their school on the map.

“Making a statement and making everybody else realize that there’s more than just one team in Springfield and we’re to be competed with,” Reid said.

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