In just one year, the Columbia High School girls basketball team went from losing more games than they won to posting the Cougars’ winningest season since 2010.
“Our team grew this season,” said junior JoJo Yarde, the team’s highest scorer and rebounder. “We had to learn a lot to come together as a team.”
Numbers back up what Yarde saw nightly on the court. Last year, the 2024-25 stretch ended with 12 victories and 15 defeats, placing them them in the middle of SEC Liberty group yet ranked 22nd across the full Super Essex Conference. By the end of the 2025-26 regular season, they stood atop the SEC Liberty division with a 9-1 record, and a total of 17 wins with only seven setbacks in the Super Essex Conference.
Head Coach Aaron Breitman also applauded the team’s growth this season.
“From our first game of this season we noticed a complete change in leadership, accountability and teamwork. Last season we started off 0-5 and this year we went 3-2. Getting off to a better start set the tone for the rest of the season,” Breitman said. “Every team deals with adversity but the good ones overcome it. We had some players dealing with role changes and a different starting lineup this year but we outgrew the pains of that and were able to have the first 15+ win season since prior to 2011.”
The CHS girls basketball team had their winningest season since 2010. (Photo by Aidan Heindl)
By all accounts, from season’s tipoff, the girls moved as a tighter unit than they did last season. By their last regular season game on February 17, after 24 matchups, the Cougars tallied 1,308 points and 909 rebounds. Scoring came fast, but also smart, shared across the team. Nobody shouldered every win alone, Yarde said. Instead, fresh names lit up the box score again and again. As Yarde put it, “We play best when we play as a team and work together and when we help each other to shine.”
On the court, numbers told part of the story with Yarde leading the team with 477 points while pulling down 316 rebounds, showing strength at both baskets. From the guard spot, junior Gabriella Ervin poured in 265 points, moved the ball smartly with 106 assists and grabbed 105 boards along the way. Contributions came too from senior Chioma Okafor with 101 points and 133 rebounds, junior Myla Defreitas with 196 points, and sophomore Lanyah Campbell, who tallied 98 points.
Few teams matched Columbia’s edge when defending – 352 steals and 85 rejections showed their grip. Leading that effort: Yarde with 104 turnovers and senior Sara Marley with 69. The majority of the 85 blocks were made by Yarde and Okafor.
Late in the season, depth made a difference. Off the bench came key minutes, keeping energy high through every quarter. Seniors Anabel Macguire and Annabelle Nelson anchored the front line, pulling down 46 and 57 boards respectively.
With each game, momentum built through consistent effort on both ends of the court. They relied on cohesion, players moving like parts of one machine. They were no longer chasing rivals but, rather, setting the pace for their games.
“We had a team full of high energy athletes that were willing to put in the work,” said Coach Breitman. “We pride ourselves on speeding teams up and taking advantage of the mistakes we cause them to make.”
A highlight of the season for Breitman was senior night, which was combined with youth spirit night and honored the team’s four seniors – Marley, Okafor, Macguire and Nelson – who’ve played for CHS since they were freshmen.
“It turned into the biggest night of the year for us in terms of crowd size and enthusiasm,” he said. “This year’s seniors were part of the first freshman girls basketball team in almost seven years and it was fun and rewarding seeing them grow not just in skill but in life over those four years.”
Junior JoJo Yarde jumps up for a shot. Yarde was the leading scorer among other high scorers this season. (Photo by Aidan Heindl)
Junior guard Gabriella Ervin brings the ball down the court. (Photo by Aidan Heindl)
The team takes on Linden in the first round of the state NJSIAA tournament for Northern New Jersey on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026.
Writer Max Fraidstern is an 11th grade student and photographer Aidan Heindl is a 12th grade student at Columbia High School. They are working as paid student freelancers with Village Green through a grant from the NJ Civic Information Consortium.
