On Menlo-Atherton’s senior night, Carlmont girls varsity basketball came to play MA again, yet suffered another defeat.
Sophomore Victoria Mataele had scored the first point of the game for the Scots and made four free throws, putting them ahead.
The game started out slow with a lot of fouls. The Scots’ free throws and put-backs put them ahead in the first quarter because of MA’s five team fouls, giving Carlmont a 9-8 lead.
“Determination was keeping us in the game in the first half. We obviously wanted to do well, but we really wanted to beat them,” said senior and varsity player Vianka Adamovitch.
The second period seemed to be reassuring for Carlmont as they continued to make successful entry passes to their posts. Junior Alexa Bayangos also contributed to the score by making a three-pointer. The Bears [MA] continued to be aggressive and had multiple reach fouls, putting the Scots in bonus. Although Carlmont shot over eight free throws during the second quarter, they missed too many to keep them in the lead.
The first half ended with a score of 28-22, with MA leading by six points.
“We just have to keep them out of our heads and make sure to play smart. Then we will do our best,” said Mataele at half time.
MA’s crowd was loud and spirited, but the stands were lacking in presence of Carlmont fans. The Scots still came out for the third period concentrating and ready to defeat the Bears.
“The vibe in the gym was very quiet on the Carlmont side. It would have been nice to have cheerleaders there or some more Screamin’ Scots,” said Screamin’ Scots member and sophomore Tyrese Lopez.
The third period was intense from both sides as the ball traveled back and forth quickly for the first three minutes of the quarter. However, Carlmont committed many turnovers afterward, which gave MA too many possessions.
The Scots seemed to be getting a lot of offensive and defensive rebounds, but their shots weren’t falling. The Bears had multiple three-pointers and small shots, putting them 15 points ahead by the end of the third period.
“We needed to play better defense and keep them off of the offensive boards. That’s what was giving them the lead,” said varsity point guard senior Ahna Kay.
By the fourth quarter the fouls from both teams had slowed down. Carlmont only scored four points in the fourth, while MA scored 15 points to end the game with a final score of 58-32.
