The sun set in Nanuet and the temperature dropped along with it. Hours had passed since school ended, yet seemingly every student was still present. Only the pets were left home, as the high school parking lot had reached capacity. The smell of excitement and student morale led to the highly-intense game transpiring in the Main Gym. Notably one of the largest spaces in the high school, it became a standing room only arena filled with passionate students. It was February 27th and a historic game between Nanuet and Barack Obama School was about to ensue.
Senior team captain Dervin Ermilus clasped the basketball with more than an intention of playing a game. This point of the game would either mean accepting defeat or a turning point by reaching a tie. That possession would determine who would win the game with 40 seconds on the clock. Seconds passed like hours, sweat dripped like blood, as neither team was willing to give up.
For Ermilus and his teammates this game was “win or lose or go home” he said. All of the training and strife they had gone through was about to take stage during their possible last game. When the win came, the team was overjoyed and the stands were a storm of red white and blue.
“I felt relieved and excited,” Ermilus said. “The team had finally reached the goal that we’ve had since day one.”
Winning the game meant the team would go on to play in the county center located in Westchester. Although the team didn’t receive the expected outcome, many people on the team went home with a different mindset.
Senior team captain Caiden Washington looked back at his time as a Knights basketball athlete. Even getting to the county center “was a big accomplishment” he said. In this sense it was “an accomplishment not only for Nanuet basketball but for Nanuet as a whole.”
The Nanuet student section leaving no room for any other Knights left some with no choice but to sit with the opposing team.
Savannah Paul, a Nanuet junior, spoke of the “conflict in their student section.” She says they “had a lot to say about our student section.”
Sitting on the opposite side, Paul had a clear view of the patriotic Knights and could feel the contrasting energy.
Someone on the opposing side screamed “Obama!” she said after the name of their school and began a chant. It became a battle of the presidents as the Knights were also chanting past presidents and classic performances by the cheer team. In that moment, every Golden Knight was a champion.
Coach Dave Masterson has been coaching the team for many seasons, and even he recognized this one as different from all the others, he said.
“This season was different not just because they made it back to the County Center, but because of how they got there,” he said. “This group faced its own unique set of challenges — whether it was injuries, a tough schedule, or growing pains early on — and they responded with grit, heart, and unity. Unlike past teams, this one didn’t have the high expectations coming in, but they earned their place through relentless effort and belief in each other. Every win was a step forward, every setback a chance to grow. By the time we reached the semifinals, they weren’t just a team — they were a tight knot group. That bond made this run special.”
