Keeping (press)ure up against Bulldogs leads Giants to 64-26 win
January 26, 2023
On Tuesday, Jan. 24, the girls’ varsity basketball team beat the San Rafael Bulldogs by a score of 64-26. Once the game started, San Rafael was the first to score, gaining two quick points, but Redwood quickly bounced back with a three-pointer. From then on, the Giants played with aggression and consistency. The girls never showed any signs of exhaustion, instead keeping the pressure up and putting the Giants ahead 35-10 at halftime.
Defense was a crucial aspect of the game as the score deficit kept on growing. Junior Lilly Grand commented on how defensive pressures led to multiple offensive opportunities.
“Our team does really well with unset defense. We practice a lot of two-on-ones, so we are good with transition offense,” Grand said. “We run a smooth offense and defense. … We know what we are doing.”
For most of the game, the Giants ran a press against the Bulldogs, a defensive strategy that attempts to trap the opponent on their side of the court. This led to many turnovers by the Bulldogs. The Giants capitalized on these turnovers as they were able to keep the ball away from their side of the court, scoring lots of fast-break points.
Freshman Brooke Denler spoke on what she thinks led to this specific victory.
“We did a great job anticipating the ball to get steals and tips on defense. [Receiving] great passes [was helpful] to get us ahead and kept the energy alive. Our rebounds were also very important, [as] we got almost every rebound,” Denler said.
Steals and rebounds were a big factor in the Giants’ win, along with their teamwork.
Grand acknowledged the team camaraderie and how everyone contributed, ultimately leading to their win.
“Everybody had a good game. Maybe not everyone scored, but everybody contributed. I think it was a good team win,” Grand said.
Even though the Giants showed dominance from the beginning, the consistent aggression and harmonious dynamic throughout the game is what made it engaging from start to finish. The Giants took an unfortunate loss to Archie Williams on Jan. 26, but they hope to claim a victory at Terra Linda on Jan. 28.
