Three of Boston Latin School’s girls’ basketball players have been recognized for their hard work and dedication to their sport this past winter season. Brielle Sullivan (I) and Olivia Burke (II) have been named Dual County League (DCL) All-Stars, and Emelia O’Gilvie (II) has been named DCL Small’s Most Valuable Player (MVP).

Sullivan’s senior season was different than expected due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The team was unable to play DCL Large teams, which was disappointing because they “had a good chance at beating [them] this year.” It was also hard for the team to bond due to social distancing protocols, and it was very different without the support of their fans. The team, however, compensated for the empty stands by cheering for their teammates from the sidelines, which built strong bonds on and off the court.

The girls’ basketball team took home the DCL Small Championship this winter. Sullivan explains the team was successful because of the “shift in [their] attitudes.” The girls practiced six days a week, putting in their best effort every day.

Sullivan says her greatest accomplishment was being named captain during her junior year. Normally, this title is reserved for seniors, but Coach Keri Orellana thought she had earned it. Subsequently, she was named captain for the 2021 season and a DCL All-Star.

Sullivan says, “[I earned this] title from being a leader on the court, being aggressive on defense, not being scared of taking three-point shots anymore and believing in myself.”

Playing for BLS has taught Sullivan that “hard work pays off and anything is possible.” She also recognizes the importance of being a leader and using it to enact change. Sullivan hopes that her team will remember her as the “player who never gave up” and the teammate that “encouraged every player to push their limits.”

Burke also states that the BLS team had started their season later than the other teams in the DCL. She attributes the team’s success to its close dynamic this year. She says that being “so close to winning pushed [them] even further” and contributed to their league victory as well.

Burke says that her time spent on the basketball team has taught her a lot about time management and working with a diverse group of people.

O’Gilvie describes the difficulties the team faced starting this season relatively late. The team was forced to make up for the lost time by studying new plays and sequences each night and keeping up with their conditioning, all of which O’Gilvie believes contributed to the team’s success.

O’Gilvie says her biggest accomplishment was making it to the BLS varsity team in her freshman year, being named a DCL All-Star and BLS Girls’ Basketball MVP. She says that she has “improved so much over the past few years and receiving this recognition for [her] performance felt rewarding.” 

In addition, she was honored to be named the DCL Small MVP for this past season. From watching films, getting in workouts at home, improving upon her defense and “increasing her points, steals and rebounds per game average,” O’Gilvie put in the work on and off the court to earn her title.

She is hopeful that she can get her name on a banner during her time at BLS, and she wants to encourage the younger players to remember “anything is possible.” She is also looking to score 1,000 points by the end of her high school career, and she is not far off from doing so, with only 16 points left.

Playing basketball at BLS has given O’Gilvie “confidence in her abilities as a player” and defined what it means for her to be a leader. She is looking to be recruited to play at the collegiate level.