Varsity Girls’ Basketball fell 57-52 to Los Gatos High School on Friday, Jan. 23 at an away game. MVHS had a poor start, trailing behind LGHS by a few points throughout the first and second quarters, ending halftime at 26-21. While the Matadors were able to close the point gap and even pull ahead several times during the second half of the game, they were ultimately unable to make a full comeback and lost by five points.
While the team initially had a tough time adjusting to the flow of the game, they were able to strategize and improve their playing during their 10-minute halftime break. Sophomore and point guard Avishi Bansal notes how the team changed their approach to playing throughout the game.
“During halftime break, we went into our team room and really locked in,” Bansal said. “Coach Borelli was helping us refine our game, because there were points when people were not looking at the person behind them on defense, so we made sure they were doing so in the second half. First quarter, our team was lacking, to be honest. The whole gym probably thought that we were going to lose by a lot. But in the third and fourth quarter, we got it.”
According to Borelli, the team worked incredibly hard to catch up on the lost time, pressuring the ball and focusing on improving their defense. Borelli says that there was nothing more the team could do, as they played the best they could, especially junior and point guard Allie Rummelhoff.
“Allie played exceptionally well,” Borelli said. “She played very smartly. She followed shots, she went back up the layout. She had one play off the inbound, that, if it had made a layup, would have been perfect. Allie played her heart out.”
As the team enters the next half of the season, they plan on strengthening their fundamentals during practice. Rummelhoff says that doing so would help the team better handle pressure during a game’s critical moments, especially in cases like these, where the scores remain close even into the last few minutes of the game. Moving forward, she hopes that this game will serve as motivation for the team in the long run, especially as playoffs approach.
“I’m really proud of my team,” Rummelhoff said. “In my heart, I know that we should have won this game. I’m ready for the next time we play them because they don’t know what’s coming for them. I also think this is just a really good experience playing a good team – it shows us the potential we have. And I know this isn’t even our full potential. I can see the desire to win in my teammates, my coach, in everyone.”
