GO TEAM FIREBIRDS!!! The crowd was roaring with excitement. Cheers left and right. The SWOOSH of the net. On April 1, 2023, six schools including our Firebirds competed in the first Southeast Early College Basketball Tournament. 

This event took place at Brunswick Community College’s Dinah Gore Aquatic and Fitness Center. The other five schools included: Wilmington Early College High School, Early College East, Duplin Early College High School, Bladen Early College, and Columbus Career and College Academy.  

All 6 teams played incredibly well and showed great sportsmanship toward each other and throughout the whole game. These students were encouraged to show school spirit and show off their talents while playing.  Players like Brian Barahona-Amaro, Jeremiah Nixon, Thomas Sadler, and Yamil Hartmann all showed great sportsmanship.

 “It’s not just a single-person sport that it takes more than one to win a game. All it takes for one team to play together as a family and they win games back to back” states Barahona-Amaro. He believes that the team you are on is your family and you must work together if you want to succeed and win. 

“ Go out there and do your thing, don’t listen to other people who try to tell you what to do because it ends up working.” says Izayvion. Event organizer Marijayne Jessup concurs. “Honestly, this event was created because of our students, specifically the basketball team. They wanted an opportunity to play other early colleges and build school spirit in a fun way. I would say this event absolutely did that and would not have been possible without everyone involved –  from the coaches and refs to the fans and volunteers. We look forward to hosting it again next year!”