Ashley Chandler (Jr.) sets up to shoot a free throw. (A.Iwata)
By RUTUJA SABNIS
Staff Writer
Girls Varsity Basketball lost to Lakewood during its first round of CIF by a score of 46-51. This close game marks the end of the girls’ season this school year after the girls went 7-3 in Pacific Coast League resulting in third place behind Irvine and Woodbridge. Last year, UHS went 4-6 and ended up in fourth place behind Beckman.
This year’s CIF game began with the Trojans staying neck to neck with the Lakewood Lancers. At the end of the first quarter, Malia Goldsmith (So.) scored a free throw with three seconds left in the quarter. With this shot, the score was 15-14 with UHS trailing at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter concluded with University grabbing the lead with the score 21-19. These seven points were earned with one three point shot and two layups. After halftime, however, the girls lost the lead. The two point lead was taken by the Lancers, and the score at the end of the third quarter was 30-28. With the crowd going wild and the stakes high, the game proceeded to the last quarter.
In the final quarter, nerves ran high. Players fouled each other left and right, and the Lancers were able to shoot a high volume of free throws. Because of these fouls, Lakewood was able to score twenty one points while UHS was able to score only eighteen.
However, even with this loss, making CIF was still a huge accomplishment.
“It was really exciting [playing in CIF],” Team Captain Kaci Blailock (Sr.) said, “it’s a bummer that we lost but it’s always a fun experience.”
In any team sport, especially basketball, individuals in a team have to be able to work together.
“We improved a lot this year mainly because we don’t have any drama on our team,” Team Captain Ashley Chandler (Jr.) said, “and the team chemistry this year was way better than previous years.”
These girls have poured their time into the sport, sacrificing holidays and breaks to come to practice. With their hard work, the girls qualified for CIF, which is no small feat.
“As always I am proud of the effort of my girls. We were a bit over matched size wise but they fought tough,” Coach Nicole Bradshaw (Math Dept.) said. “I saw so much heart. We gave up one too many offensive rebounds, but I loved to watch them leave everything on the floor.”
