As players clad in sleeveless white uniforms lined with purple and gold began warming up with shoots and passes, the excitement for the girls basketball match against Independence HS intensified among the team and spectators. Before the first period began, the team gathered for a pre-game huddle and, with the lead of coach Sara Borelli, hollered: “One, two, three—defense!”. The players then took their places on their respective side of the court, energized and confident for the tough game that would thereafter result in a loss of 58-35.
Photos by Issra Osman and Karen Ma.
On the side of the court, the whole team was cheering enthusiastically for their teammates. But on the court, two notable players were missing due to injuries: senior Julie Chen and junior Rhea Rangarajan.
“[Chen], when she’s on the court, she talks so much and it makes the team so much stronger [since] we bond and play so much better,” freshman Jessica Ji said. “And [Rangarajan], when she makes the shot, everyone gets really hyped up. When everyone’s energy is up we just play so much better, so I think we could’ve really used them.”
The ball was thrown for the starters to begin the game. Right from the get-go, the Matadors played aggressively, pressuring their opponents and maintaining possession of the ball to score two baskets. The opponents soon disrupted the Matadors’ streak and, right before a timeout, had reclaimed six points.
After the break, IHS was able to easily get past the Matadors’ defense. One basket after another, the two sides remained neck-and-neck, until finally, after several sharp passes leading to easy layups, the opponents began to widen the gap to 13-6. Junior Shivalika Chavan felt that the team was not concentrated, causing them to fall behind at the end of the first period.
“We can’t spend pre-game fooling around, because that’s kind of what we did today,” Chavan said. “We have to stay focused right from the start and just set the tone for the game.”
Increased aggression from IHS marked the start of the second period. With a shaky defense, the Matadors started to turn the ball over which led to easy baskets for IHS, establishing a 23-8 lead. The opponents continued challenging the Matadors with heavy pressure however, closing the second quarter with a score of 32-12, with IHS in the lead.
“We didn’t box out, so even though we had a huge height advantage, they were getting all the rebounds and they converted on a lot of those,” sophomore Joyce Chen said. “They also beat us on fast breaks and tired us out because they moved the ball well.”
The shouting and squeaking of Nikes resonated through the main gym as the clock for the third period started counting down. As usual, the opponents actively seeked any opportunity to score — whenever the Matadors hesitated the slightest bit, the Sixers would take advantage of it.
“None of our shots were falling, and we kept rushing the ball,” Joyce said.
Then, during the fourth period, the game started turning around. With three successful shots in a row, the Matadors narrowed the gap slightly to 54-33. Both teams were soaked in sweat and struggling for breath by the time the referee called a timeout. During the break, Borelli encouraged the team with the possibility of repeating their streak of points within the last two minutes in order to win, and the team’s spirit rose once again.
However, things didn’t go as planned for the team, as the game ended soon after with a final score of 58-35.
Joyce believes that the outcome could have been reversed if they had kept up the pressure instead of dropping back to half court, and if they had played consistently throughout instead of in short spurts.
The Matadors did, however, showcase some strengths. According to Ji, their pushes up the court and strong passes played a major role in obtaining points. Though they didn’t perform to their potential during this game, they felt they had given their all in the last moments.
“We kept our heads up,” Chavan said, “especially in the second half when we were still falling behind, we didn’t give up.”
The team’s next home game will be on Dec. 16 against Mills HS at 7 p.m.
