On Feb. 5, the Gabrielino girls basketball went up against Rosemead High School in their last game of the season. Rosemead won, 47-39, leaving Gabrielino narrowly qualifying for CIF.
Despite their loss to Rosemead, the team, led by captain Ava Yamashita, senior, has not wavered in large part due to her confidence in the team.
“Despite the tough loss, knowing that our journey isn’t finished is our motivation,” Yamashita said. “Going to CIF means putting in the work to get our win back. CIF will be our chance to make a new path towards victory. This will be our time to challenge ourselves and prove that we aren’t finished.”
On Feb. 19, Yamashita’s leadership paid off. Gabrielino advanced to the quarterfinals round of the CIF competition, facing off against Villanova Preparatory High School. Allyson Kim, senior, who has been on the team for all four years of high school, was a key player in the third quarter of the game.
“It was surreal,” Kim recounted. “It doesn’t really feel real yet, but I’m thankful that so many people came to support the team, it made it special and memorable.”
Even after ending the league with a loss, the girls entered CIF with significantly more motivation. Newer players, such as freshman Kimiko Nagata, feel inspired by the dedication many of the seniors display.
“It’s one of my biggest accomplishments,” Nagata stated. “The thing I’ve been training for since I started [basketball].”
Gabrielino won, 74-20. As of this publication, the team has advanced to the semi-final round of CIF. This is the first time in Gabrielino history that the team has advanced this far.
If Gabrielino wins this round and advances to finals, they will have the chance to go up against Rosemead again, now in CIF as opposed to League. Gabrielino would have the chance for a rematch against not only the team they lost to in their last league game, but also the long time rival of Gabrielino basketball.
On Feb. 23, the basketball team will go up against Marshall in the semi-final round, and based on past game performance, the team remains hopeful and is determined to continue competing.
