After the girls’ varsity basketball team secured a 44-31 point victory over the Cupertino Pioneers, Carlmonts’ Erica Mendiola said that learning how to play together and team bonding is what they need to work on — and she isn’t wrong.
A certain lack of fluidity was clear among the Scots when it came down to moving the ball against the Pioneers’ defense, but that wasn’t surprising, considering that most of last year’s first-string players graduated and took the bond of the team with them.
“Since we lost all of our starting five, the way we play is obviously going to shift a little. It’s still early in the season, we’re not quite completely together yet and we haven’t adjusted to the new tempo or team dynamic. However, I think we can have a very successful season if we come together and play towards our assets,” said Gaby Pierce, a senior.
Even with their cohesiveness in progress, Carlmont racked up a 14 point lead in the second half over the Cupertino Pioneers, Mendiola leading with 11 points in the entire game. The new five’s on-the-spot collaboration gave them a flexible 10 point lead and based on their performance, the girls won’t stray from last year’s record. Many of the incoming players are optimistic about the new energy from this team and are eager to work towards a good placement in the league.
Erica Mendiola, a senior, breaks through Cupertino’s defense.
“I think the chemistry of the team will keep getting better because a team is always there for each other on and off the court,” said a junior and incoming player Valerie Kuo.
Like with any sports team this early in the season, it’s going to take time and effort to bring back the flow between players coming from different levels of play.
“It really is a new team in terms of experience, and so they’re working together and learning. Sometimes, we have growing pains but by the same token, they’re working hard and every outing we’ve had we’ve seen progress,” said Dan Maori, the varsity coach.
