In the season’s final game, Carlmont’s JV girls basketball battled the Sequoia Ravens and emerged victorious. Both teams dominated their previous games on Feb. 9; however, the Ravens’ higher win percentage determined a struggle between the two. The Ravens left the Scots untouched for the game’s duration, tightening Carlmont’s lead but unable to surpass them.
Before the tipoff, each starting player lined up as the announcer called their names, high-fiving and dispersing to the center court.
Scots freshman Mischa Duggal contributed the game’s first two points. Haley Wong, a junior at Carlmont put up the following four points by the end of the first quarter. The score was 6-4, and either team had a chance of taking home a win.
Carlmont sophomore Natasha Dai opened the second-quarter scoring with a three-pointer, and Wong scored seven additional points, including two free throws less than a second before halftime. Sequoia freshman Jillian Gladstone and Jada Crockett brought the score up to 16-10 but still struggled to catch up to the Scots.
The third quarter was short and sweet, Duggal and Charlotte Lin, a sophomore at Carlmont scored four points, and the Ravens scored three.
Wong scored seven points in the final quarter, and Lin scored two. The Ravens picked up the game by scoring 14 points, with Sequoia sophomore Jenna Sichlinger scoring the last free throw. The Scots held off the Ravens 29-27, fouling seven times, while the Ravens only fouled three times.
In the end, the coaches congratulated each team on a well-played season. The Scots were happy to close out their season with a rivalry win.
“It’s bittersweet, it’s so rewarding, and the girls improved with every game that we played. I’m going to miss them a lot,” said Julie Meade, head coach of Carlmont.
After this Friday’s game, Wong reflected on the season and how her team grew.
“This whole season was a very good experience, and I like how our team has bonded. Initially, I thought we wouldn’t click as much because of some age gaps on the team, but we all hung out after school and had improvements in communicating, chemistry and working together throughout the game,” Wong said.
Both teams improved significantly throughout the season, and the players hope to apply the outcome from their last game to their strategies next year.
“We could improve on better defense and stopping the threes, holding out and not letting the offense in the middle,” said Grace Johnson, a sophomore at Sequoia.
Although the teams competed closely, their sportsmanship created a positive environment for players and spectators.
“I’m really sad not to be spending as much time playing basketball with the girls, but it’ll be a nice break before starting up again in the fall. I think Calmont plays some really tough defense, and number one [Wong] has some really good dribble-drive offense,” said Martha Leveque-Eichhorn, head coach of the Ravens.
The Scots finished off the season with a 50% win percentage overall and are 7-5 in the league, according to MaxPreps.
