HANOVER — As she made the ride over to Starland Sportsplex and Fun Park on Saturday, Christina Pham felt like she had an opportunity. Set to participate in the 11th annual A Shot For Life Challenge, the Nobles girls basketball standout had a chance to make a name for herself, while also supporting a meaningful endeavor.
She proceeded to stun the crowd, knocking down 84.1% of her shots during the day en route to being named the 2023 ASFL girls basketball champion.
“I’m just truly grateful to be here in the first place,” Pham said afterward. “There’s a lot of talent in this gym, and we’re all being a part of something greater than basketball. So, it’s exciting.”
For Pham, this year’s tournament had added meaning, and she felt compelled to take part.
“My grandfather passed away a few years ago from lung cancer,” Pham said. “So it does mean a lot. But whether or not cancer has directly impacted me, it’s still a great cause (to support).”
Claire Keswick, a Northwestern commit, finished as the tournament’s runner-up, converting 79.96% of her shot attempts. With a few of her fellow Tabor Academy teammates also participating, Keswick found a groove early thanks in part to her success at the free throw line, and was able to maintain it for the majority of the day.
Like Pham, however, Keswick decided to join the showcase for a greater cause.
“Everyone knows someone,” said Keswick. “I lost my grandfather to cancer. There’s been a couple of cases in my hometown, with one of my little sister’s friends. It’s so special that we can all use this platform, and come together to spread awareness.”
Keswick continued.
“I actually fundraised by holding clinics for younger girls,” Keswick said. “Obviously, we worked on basketball. But we talked about this cause, what it means to all of us. I think spreading that awareness, not just raising money, but by spreading awareness in my community about cancer, and how we can use something we love and something we are passionate about to move forward with that, that meant a lot to me.”
According to ASFL Founder and CEO Mike Slonina, upwards of $50,000 has already been raised by this year’s tournament. He hopes his foundation can continue to grow. Whether ‘A Shot For Life’ adds more sports to its slate as it has in recent years, or expands beyond New England remains to be seen, but Slonina will do his best to leave a lasting legacy.
“We’ve made really systematic steps to get to this point,” said Slonina. “A big thing that we’re talking about now is how to reach that next point. So we did, we were strategic with how we grew. So, baseball and softball was first, but there was always a plan to continue to push the envelope from there. Now, we’re looking to branch out regionally as well.”