The girls basketball’s final home game of the season resulted in a 28-48 loss to Northwood High on Thursday, Feb. 3. The loss dropped the team’s overall league record to 2-9, ultimately placing the team in 6th place in the Pacific Coast League. 

Although the team was down 10-28 by half time, the team still had an opportunity to turn the game around. Unfortunately, many of the team’s players faced injuries that forced them to the sidelines during the game. Injuries were a constant obstacle throughout the season that contributed to their lack of success. 

“Throughout this season we had many problems with injuries, which had held us back by a lot. Either someone on the team had restricted minutes or could not play at all, and that was a challenge that we had to endure,” junior Yoonah Choi said. 

Regardless of the loss, the team improved from their first encounter with Northwood, which resulted in a 28-58 loss. 

Despite suffering a hamstring injury in the second half, senior captain Caitlin Hane fought through the adversity until the end of the game. Her presence in the game was essential for the team’s offense. 

“Getting injured deterred me from really playing to my full potential against Northwood,” Hane said. 

Although Hane was disappointed with the outcome of the game and her injury’s impact on her playing, Coach Fidel Vargas highlighted Hane’s importance to the team.

“Caitlin Hane is the key to our offense. She is a very vocal and strong player. Due to her position she has to play very physically and deals with a lot of bumps and bruises,” Coach Vargas said.

Hane also recently grabbed the second most rebounds ever by a UHS girls basketball player in a single game with 21 rebounds. 

Despite the team not winning the title they sought, Choi had an optimistic view of her progress as well as the team’s.

“Throughout the season, I was able to continue and grow my relationship with my team, which was also a result of the losses we had experienced together,” Choi said. “But most importantly, as a team we all have become comfortable with the ball and we were able to develop trust in each other to do our best when we were out on the court.”

The team has grown together and seen improvements in one another. Coach Vargas viewed the season positively, based on the team’s progress rather than perfection. Although their record still has much room for improvement, the team believes that they have made strides and developed immensely since last season.