Maddy Mercado

Carlmont senior Shailae Sagon looks to block the opposing team’s pass.

In a fast-paced and high-intensity game, the Carlmont girls basketball team won their first game of the season 50-39 against the Notre Dame Tigers.

The first quarter began with a shaky start for the Scots, who gained possession only to lose it immediately after, ending in two points for Notre Dame made by sophomore Julia Oliveira-Killmon.

After a foul from Notre Dame, Carlmont junior Arianna Delrooz was awarded two free throws; however, she missed both. 

Despite a tough start, Willow Ishibashi-To, a freshman at Carlmont, pulled the Scots ahead with the first 3-pointer of the game.

Halfway through the quarter, the Tigers called a timeout, who collectively had three fouls. 

The first quarter ended with Carlmont in the lead, 10-6. 

The Scots went into the second quarter with aggression and coordination, with senior Joslyn Moore attempting many steals. Carlmont called their first time out, at a foul ratio of 3-7 and losing 14-15. 

After the timeout, the Scots were able to bring the game back in their favor 22-15 after shots from Moore and Kiana George, a senior at Carlmont.

“I think the team did well on keeping pressure on the defense and making the offense work,” Moore said. “We need to work on some communication when it comes to defense or rebounding, but overall, we did a good job.”

Both teams had the opportunity to recover and strategize for the last half of the game during halftime. Notre Dame started the half with the ball despite the 9-point lead for the Scots. Carlmont needed to improve their offensive efficiency while maintaining their strong defense.

“I think we brought a lot of pressure, so did the other team,” said Maddy Scheinman, a senior at Notre Dame.

Throughout the third quarter, there were tremendous amounts of defensive plays from the entire team. Brynn Toomasson, a junior guard, had multiple touches on the ball at crucial moments. 

Toomasson repeatedly forced Tiger turnovers with determination and intensity. 

“We were really good at rebounding and starting up our offense and looking for opportunities for each other,” Toomasson said. “I also think we helped each other out on defense. That caused them to shut down a lot which was better for us in the end.”

In the fourth quarter, both teams became extremely erratic to score more points. The Scots passed the ball around exceptionally well due to the strong team chemistry and cooperation.

“[The team] hasn’t played together a lot, so these scrimmages allow us to get going,” said Samantha Rossi, the head coach at Notre Dame.

In the game’s final, sophomore Natasha Dai intercepted a pass and scored the final points for the Scots. Following this play, Notre Dame senior Alaiyah San Juan caught the ball with a few seconds left and made the last basket of the game. This shot left the final score at 50-39, as the Scots took their first win.

In addition to it being the Scots’ first game of the season, it was their first game with their new head coach, Richard Stevens. 

“I really like the intensity [Stevens] brought to the sidelines and the people he put in and the places he wanted us to play,” Moore said. “Overall, I think there was nothing that I could say that I didn’t like.”

Stevens also had a positive outlook on the game.

“This is the first time I’ve coached these girls, and this is our first game, and we played a pretty good team, so I think they ran their stuff well,” Stevens said. “They played hard, and I’m really happy with the first game effort.”

The Tigers’ defense was strong, but their aggression affected them, especially in the number of fouls they had as a team. 

“I think we rushed a little bit too much. If we slowed down and executed our plays, we could’ve had a better outcome than what we were looking for,” Killmon said. “I think we also just lost out on defense and just couldn’t communicate.”