On Tuesday, Nov. 18, girls’ varsity basketball started their pre-season off strong as they competed in a scrimmage against Sonoma Valley High School. While the score was reset to zero after each quarter, Redwood maintained a solid lead throughout the game
Setting a strong tone early in the game, the Giants finished the first quarter with a score of 19-3. New to the varsity roster, the freshmen contributed greatly and earned valuable minutes on the court. Freshman Sasha Fulford capped off the first quarter with a three-pointer to further the lead. Fueled by competitive energy, the second quarter flew by, leaving the Giants ahead, with a score of 8-7.
Junior Hindi Copeland said that for their first scrimmage, the team performed strongly.
“We for sure had to figure some stuff out, but the team overall worked together really well, and we learned what we were doing wrong pretty early on,” Copeland said. “We definitely got better by the third quarter.”
The third quarter began with a pass to the inside from Copeland to senior Brooke Denler, who finished with a layup. But a three-pointer from Sonoma 10 seconds later tightened the game to 2-3, with Redwood down for the first time in the game. With 6 minutes left in the quarter, freshman Phoebe Saibel hit a three to spark a run for Redwood, and just like that, the Giants took the 3rd quarter.
At the start of the fourth, a missed shot from Phoebe allowed senior Kitty White to grab the rebound and bring it back up for an and-one. In the final stretch, the Giants really found their rhythm, dominating the quarter and building an 8-0 run with just two minutes remaining. Redwood took the fourth quarter, 8-7.
Highlighting their strong points, Copeland noted that their communication played a large part in their victory.
“I think we had good communication, and the team was talking a lot. We started to huddle together and make sure we were all on the same page and were talking to each other,” Copeland said.
Reflecting on what they could improve on, Copeland says there is still more they can work on.
“I think we could work more on running our plays because we kept messing up on them. And also making easy baskets because we definitely missed from layups and free throws,” Copeland said.
After a satisfying victory, the Giants left the game feeling confident and ready to face off against Maria Carillo High School for their first official game at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22.
