On Monday, the girls’ basketball team lost 42-45 against the Los Altos Eagles.
The Eagles entered the game strong, scoring six consecutive points before junior Avary Sheldon hit an early three-pointer. The Bears were unable to continue the momentum and trailed the Eagles to end the first quarter 5-16.
The second quarter began similarly with additional points from the Eagles. The Bears put up a fierce fight as senior Fiona Steinmetz had consecutive steals and field goals with assists from Sheldon and sophomore Molly Gray. Sheldon managed to get a basket right before the buzzer, ending the first half with a score of 18-24 in favor of Los Altos.
The second half began with both teams struggling to score. Senior Janiya Moss scored the first basket of the half, allowing the Bears to gain some momentum and cut the score to 21-24. However, Los Altos stayed decisively in the lead after scoring a few more points in the next few minutes. In an exciting play, Gray caught a rebound and scored a layup off the fast-break, bringing the score to 26-31.
The Bears came back determined in the fourth quarter with a strong offense and high energy. Junior Elizabeth Hoffman said, “Our spirit grew as our points racked up and both the bench and court brought full energy to gain back some of the points on the board.”
After Gray scored another basket, the tide shifted in the Bears’ favor, with Sheldon scoring her second three-pointer of the night before senior Hayden Wan scored two free throws, tying the score at 38. In an incredible play, Sheldon scored yet another three-pointer, finally putting the Bears in the lead at 40-39 with only two minutes left of the game.
In a nail-biting final minute and a half, the Eagles scored another two baskets, putting them up 40-43. Despite this, the Bears did not lose hope, with Steinmetz making a basket with only 30 seconds on the clock. Desperately attempting to finish the game on top, M-A fought hard until the final buzzer, leaving them only three points short of their opponents.
Hoffman said that she was overall proud of the team for their spirit and ability to walk off with a loss. She said, “It was an unfortunate ending to a difficult game, but it makes the rest of the season something to look forward to because now we know we can handle losses and come back stronger than ever.”
