By BEN HANSEN
Staff Writer 
The UHS Girls Basketball alumni topped the current Varsity Girls Basketball team by a score of 55-30 on Friday night, November 25. Alumni that played included some as far back as 2005, with a majority of them coming from recent years. Despite the dominating performance, the alumni played without much chemistry, missing layups as an effect of not having been on the court competitively for quite some time. For many, it was the first time they had touched a basketball or stepped on a court in months.
Alumni consisted of sisters Emily Reiland and Claire Reiland both who attend or have attended Santa Clara University as well as Harvard student Allison Piper and UCLA student Yasmine Choroomi from last year. Other members of the alumni roster include Melodie Yu (2013), Dana Bossenmeyer (2014), and Marina Iramanesh (2016).
“It was great coming back together and seeing alumni from previous years and playing the sport we all love” Iramenesh said.
The game started off slowly, but competitively as the  score remained close up until the third quarter. At that point  the varsity team let the score slip away as the alumni began to pick up momentum as if picking up where they left off a several years ago.
After the game, players from both sides exchanged hugs and took photos while the alumni offered words of encouragement for the upcoming season. The game was a good preview for what is yet to come for the Girls Varsity team this season.
Players to look out for this season include point guards Malia Goldsmith (So.) and Kaci Blailock (Sr.), who are both returning Varsity players. Goldsmith started on Varsity as a freshman who averaged nine points per game and did a great job of running the team as the starting point guard. Blailock averaged 10 points per game and has shown signs of improvement as a starting forward for a team that lacks size.
Other key players to look out for include guards Ashley Chandler (Jr.) and Claire Kawata (Fr.). Both players have brothers who play or have played for UHS basketball. Chandler has played on Varsity since her freshman year and has a high ceiling while Kawata has demonstrated great ball handling abilities.
With a high potential to contend for CIF this season, UHS Girls Basketball has high expectations to compete at a winning pace.