It is the fourth quarter. 15 seconds remain, and the score sits at a tie of 42-42. Everyone in the stands and benches is on the edge of their seats. With possession of the ball, the Notre Dame Tigers storm the hoop, succeeding in getting past the Scots defense and scoring seconds before the buzzer. The Tigers have snatched a victory from the Scots in their first scrimmage of the season.
The game had a fierce start, with the Scots and Tigers trading blows and leaving the score fairly balanced. Midway into the quarter, the Scots gained momentum, making more shots and increasing the gap in the score.
The Tigers played aggressively in the first quarter, resulting in many foul calls for the team. Despite this, the Scots stayed focused, took advantage of the free throw opportunities they received, and finished the first quarter with a lead of 20-10.
“I think in the first half we did a really good job of not letting the aggressive plays get to us because we can’t change how they’re gonna ref the game,” said junior point guard Willow Ishibashi-To. “We just played through it, and if anything, we let the fouls fuel us.”
In the second quarter, the Tigers continued their aggressive plays, causing senior Ale Nelson to get hurt and sit out for the rest of the quarter. Despite Nelson playing small forward, power forward, and shooting guard, the Scots persevered, improving the quality of their passes and increasing the intensity of their offense. Ishibashi-To scored three free throws at the end of the quarter, leaving the Scots in the lead at 32-18.
“It’s clear that the Carlmont girls were effective at getting inside the paint, drawing those fouls, and putting up free throws,” said sophomore Lucas Robertson, the announcer for the game.
During the second half, things started to take a turn for the worse. The Scots offense started to be more passive, and the quality of passes became less consistent.
“Our plan going into the game was to out-hustle them, control the intensity, and I think we did a really good job in the first half, but towards the second half, we were just matching their intensity and not controlling the game,” Ishibashi-To said.
Additionally, the Scots had to adapt to a newer rotation during the second half due to Nelson’s injury.
“We had to put some kids in positions that they’re not used to playing, and we have freshmen that haven’t played in games with us before, which is why this game was so valuable to us, to be able to learn and put players in different positions,” said Richard Stephens, the head coach.
Due to these factors, Carlmont’s big lead began to diminish. In the last minute of the game, both the Scots and Tigers went all out in hopes of scoring before the game ended. After having a strong offense in the final moments, the Tigers won 44-42.
With a whole season ahead of them, the Scots will be working hard to get back into the flow of playing games, especially as they are now in a new league among high-ranking teams.
“Every game is gonna be choppy. It’s gonna be a lot more difficult this year than it was last year,” Stephens said.
The Scots will also try to work on getting used to the mental pressure of situations such as the tie at the end of the game.
“We will run some drills or plays where we set the clock up and try to replicate this exact scenario of 30 seconds left. We go live, try different things, and put people in different positions,” Stephens said. “You can rep it and practice it all you want, but there’s no substitution for playing in the game and going through it.”
