Girls Basketball defeats Gunn High School 69-40 on its senior night

Matadors sweep the league with a 10-0 record

The+Matadors+huddle+before+the+first+quarter%2C+discussing+their+strategy.

Aashi Venkat

The Matadors huddle before the first quarter, discussing their strategy.

Krish Dev and Aashi Venkat

Girls Basketball secured its league championship on Wednesday, Feb. 9, defeating Gunn High School with a final score of 69-40. The team started off strong with a score of 21-9 by the end of the first quarter, which effectively set the tone for the other quarters, as they stayed in the lead throughout the game.

“I think overall we did really well,” senior Sophia Chen said. “It was kind of slow when we first started out, but I think we were able to gradually warm up and keep scoring. We had a pretty strong first half and we continued to keep working and keep pushing to the second half.”

Because it was the team’s senior night, the crowd was especially supportive of the players, creating a positive and motivating environment that raised the team’s energy. Furthermore, according to senior Siri Adusumilli, the excitement for their anticipated league champion title added to their energy, which greatly influenced the team’s success.

“[I] ​​think [we won because of] the team’s energy,” Adusumilli said. “We were all really hype in this game, especially because it means that [we’re] league champs this year no matter how the season ends in the last few games. So it was a big night overall for our record.”

During Chen’s senior night speech, she expressed gratitude for all of her teammates. Chen is grateful for her career and is content with her contributions to the team.

“Even if I’m not out there scoring the most points, I hope that I was able to really contribute to the team atmosphere from the bench or even during practice,” Chen said. “I like working hard and motivating everybody as well.”

Similar to Chen, while playing one of her final games, Adusumilli felt “incredibly happy and also reminiscent.” She believes the game is the perfect way to end her four year Varsity basketball career at MVHS.

“I think my friends and family have done a lot,” Adusumilli said. “[Them] being in the bleachers means the absolute world to me. They’re the reason that I’m able to go to practice every day and I’m happy with how I perform on the court, no matter what happens. Today just felt amazing having them all being there cheering for me — truly wonderful.”