A crowd of Redwood parents, teammates and supporters cheer as the final minute of the game ticks away.. The Giants keep the ball in their hands to hold the score. Finally the buzzer sounds and Redwood takes the win.
On Thursday, Nov. 30, playing at Marin Catholic High School, the girls’ varsity basketball team won the first game of the Ladycat Classic against Moreau Catholic with a score of 63-55. Although the Giants were falling behind in the first quarter with a score of 9-13, by the second and third quarter the girls stepped up and pulled ahead of the Mariners with scores of 21-12 in the second and 19-15 in the third.
According to senior and team captain Zoe Stachowski, who has been playing for the Redwood team since her freshman year, this tournament is apart of their preseason schedule.
“We played them (Mariners) in the past and we lost. Usually this tournament is hard for us, so for us to win the first outcoming game is pretty good for our team,” Stachowski said.
In addition to the positive outcome, Stachowski is satisfied with the team’s performance on and off the court. She is anticipating this coming season because of the girls’ achievements in today’s game which demonstrated their unity and dedication.
“Our team really worked hard today and we had a lot of fun. This is one of the first games where we were all smiling and involved in the game. This team has a lot more potential, we started off our season really strong,” Stachowski said. “In past years we have started out slower and has took us a longer time to get in shape and learn the plays. This team is more motivated and wants to win, and wants to do the best we can.”
Junior Gabby Beltran, who plays point guard, acknowledged that while they lost to the Mariners last year, the girls were able to keep positive attitudes throughout this game and not let previous games get to their head.
“This team was much faster and drove to the basket, and we are used to teams shooting and playing in the zone with a lazier defense, and we usually push the ball and go fast and go transition offense,” Beltran said. “Our team was able to keep up and we continued to guard and kept them from beating us to the basket. We were also talkative and we communicated really well, so with that we were able to defeat them.”
While the girls’ communication and energy throughout the game was beneficial to their outcome, according to Beltran the team has a few things to work on before the official season starts.
“I think one weakness was getting back on defense, we got pretty tired so we didn’t get back on defense quick enough, so the other team beat us down the court, therefore making layups when we should have been there to defend them,” Beltran said.
Beltran is also satisfied with her team of girls this year, and is ready for the season to begin. Kylie Horstmeyer who is the only freshman on the varsity team is excited to be a part of a high ranked team, especially as a freshman.
“I enjoy playing varsity, becuase I get to know people from different grades. It is definitely challenging and a commitment,” Horstmeyer said. “I didn’t know for sure if I was going to make varsity, but I had been working out so I went into tryouts really hard.”
While it can be intimidating being the only freshman on a varsity team, Horstmeyer is willing to put the effort in so her team can succeed.
“I feel like there is added pressure because I am a freshman and a lot of people know I am a freshman on varsity, but I try not to think about it. I am really looking forward to getting to know the girls a lot better,” Horstmeyer said.
With the start of the regular season just a month away, the varsity girls will continue to prepare and connect as a team so they are ready once the official season begins. The second game of the tournament was this past Friday, Dec. 1 against St. Ignatius and their final game was Saturday, Dec. 2.
Stats:
First Quarter: 9-13 (M) Second Quarter: 21-12 (R)
Third Quarter: 19-15 (R) Fourth Quarter: 14-15 (M)
Total: 63-55 (R)
