Canarsie shocked by overtime loss to Evander Childs
This was supposed to be a big year for the Canarsie Lady Chiefs, but their undefeated 16-0 season ended abruptly when they lost to Evander Childs Campus 59-54 in overtime during the Public School Athletic League quarterfinals in Canarsie on Wednesday.
“This is really hard,” said head coach Keiya Smith. “This was my baby. It’s been three years with these same girls, so when they graduate this year, that’s it. They expected that this would be the year they would go all the way.”
Smith took over the program during the 2011-12 season, and the majority of the team’s six seniors began playing in 2012-13. The Lady Chiefs went 13-3 that year and were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round. They took another step forward last season, and this was the year they finally went for the championship — a quarterfinal loss was completely unexpected.