By Jady Ojeda
Staff Writer
The Gabrielino High School (GHS) girls varsity basketball team continues to inch closer to the Mission Valley League title with their victories each week. The team’s ultimate goal is making it to the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) playoffs.
The season will start wrapping up with a home game against South El Monte High School (SEMHS) tomorrow at 4:45 pm.
Yesterday, the girls continued fighting for their spot in the playoffs in an away game at Arroyo High School. Scores were unavailable at press time.
The Lady Eagles traveled to Marshall High School last Friday. Scores were unavailable at presstime.
Last Wednesday, the team played a home game against their rival, Rosemead High School. With tension in the air, Gabrielino worked towards settling the rivalry with speed and strength.
With her eyes glued on her teammates, junior Amanda Lee worked towards ensuring quick responses, driving her to spring up from the court and score for her team.
The tension grew in the gym when Jennyfer Morales, sophomore, kept her focus and she reached into the air for the ball, putting the Eagles in the lead in the first quarter.
A senior, and captain, Alison Huynh managed to sneak in a three-pointer after a struggle to get the ball into the hoop. The Gabrielino JV girls basketball team showed their support by shaking their hands from the stands.
The Panthers continued closing the gap in the score with numerous fouls called upon GHS, but the Eagles continued proving their dominance with a 19-point lead at half-time.
Intensity increased on the court as sophomores Cassidy Liu and Megan Trieu brought forth their defensive strength.
To the right side of the stands, the Rosemead crowd cheered, “Shoot shoot, take that ball to the hoop hoop.”
The basketball finally rolled away along with the Panthers’ opportunity to score the last points of the game with a foul, leaving the Eagles with a victory of 75-37 to close the game.
The Lady Eagles faced Mountain View High School (MVHS) in away conference game on Wednesday, Jan. 18. They left MVHS with a score of 69-28, completing their collection of wins against every school in the league as they continued their triumphant season.
They returned from winter break on Wednesday, Jan. 11 with an away game at SEMHS and left with a winning score of 62-20.
Ovarian Cancer Night took off on Friday, Jan. 13, with a varsity girls home game following the varsity boys game to give tribute to cancer victims and patients. The game sparked with a three-pointer from Huynh, hyping up the crowd before another 4-4 tie was broken.
“Our chemistry on court has gotten so much better and that helps us know each of our teammate’s plays,” said Huynh. “Since basketball is such a team sport, we all have to work together, not play individually.”
Led by GHS Cheer, the crowd continued supporting the Lady Eagles with their chants, helping the team reach a score of 31-16 at half-time. The El Monte Lions responded with defensive calls in order to start the third quarter with the strength necessary to come back. GHS gained their confidence with a three-pointer from senior Jackie Lam, increasing tension between both teams.
Motivation grew among the Eagles with a pep talk led by Coach Desiree Almaraz during a timeout, pushing them to continue their fight for the last two quarters. The game ended with a victory, 48-37, keeping the Eagles on top with a record of 5-0 in league.
“It was a constant battle, but at the same time it was thrilling and fun to be there. Our plan is to make it to CIF and we plan on achieving that goal,” stated Amanda Brunjes, freshman.
After some previous losses at tournaments, the girls were motivated to succeed and win their regular games against Rosemead, Marshall, Arroyo, an South El Monte at the start of the season.
