The UHS Girls’ Varsity Basketball team lost to Irvine 28-54 on Jan. 31. This was the final game of the team’s season, which ended with a 6-19 record.

The Trojans did not start the game as they hoped, falling behind quickly. By halftime, they were down 30-10. However, they remained resilient and played hard, even outscoring the Vaqueros in the third quarter.

“I think we had a pretty good game,” senior Asha Highsmith said. “We had a pretty slow start but we came together in the end to catch up.”

In her final high school game, Highsmith boosted the Trojans with a performance that included two three-pointers. Although the Trojans were disappointed with the score, they can still be proud of the effort they gave to their seniors.

“The score wasn’t exactly what we wanted as an outcome, but everyone still played very hard,” junior Rae Li said. “Especially for the seniors, as it was their last game.”

One senior who stood out for the Trojans was Julia Holmes. She scored a team-high 10 points, eight rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Holmes shared what the game meant to her as a senior.

“It was really emotional leading up to the game,” Holmes said. “It hasn’t really set in yet, but I think I’ll be crying for the next week.”

The UHS Girls’ Varsity Basketball team underwent changes before this year’s season, as a new head coach was hired.

“Our team preparation for this season was definitely chaotic, but we all put in the work,” Li said. “This year, we had a new coach and new teammates, so it was definitely a big change. It was difficult at first, but we were able to figure it out, and the team did great.”

Despite the many changes, the team dynamic never changed.

“This year, we had a very close-knit team, and that helped us play better on the court,” Highsmith said.