The girls basketball team earned a hard-fought victory over the Carlmont Scots on Friday evening, 43-33, in a back-and-forth matchup.
The game opened with intensity on both ends of the floor. Senior center Apé Ulukivaiola came up with an early steal, and senior forward Lita Fakapelea followed by drawing a foul and knocking down both free throws to get the Bears on the board. Carlmont answered with a layup, but Fakapelea continued to attack with a strong drive to the basket for a layup. A Carlmont three-pointer and transition finish off a steal forced M-A to call a timeout with 5:01 left in the quarter, leaving the Bears down 6-4.
The Bears struggled offensively for several possessions, allowing Carlmont to gain momentum. Senior guard Luisa Tava was able to give M-A more life by drilling two threes back to back. Tava later drew a foul and split her free throws, but a few buckets by Carlmont tied the game at 10-10. Not long after, the Scots nailed a three, leaving the Bears down 13-10 at the end of the first quarter.
M-A entered the second quarter with renewed energy. Sophomore power forward Gracie Bullard* finished a layup off a clean pass from senior point guard Molly Gray, and Ulukivaiola continued to battle inside the paint for numerous rebounds. Carlmont briefly extended their lead with a floater, but Fakapelea answered with a clutch three to tie the game at 17-17 with 3:45 remaining in the half.
Ulukivaiola was able to score twice more in quick succession, but the Scots stayed within reach, capitalizing on an M-A turnover and finishing a tough layup to head into halftime with a narrow 23-21 advantage for the Bears.
The Bears took control in the third quarter, beginning with Tava knocking down another three-pointer, and freshman power forward Natalie Roman drawing a foul and converting both free throws. The Bears continued their run, stepping up defensively by drawing multiple charges. Fakapelea stayed hot from beyond the arc, draining another three, while Roman added an and-one to push the lead to 30-24 with 4:03 remaining.
“One thing that went well was that in the third quarter our threes were dropping and we went on a 15-1 run from that,” freshman guard Effi Lee said.
M-A furthered their lead as Fakapelea and Tava each hit threes, and Gray added a free throw after being fouled. Carlmont struggled to find rhythm against the Bears’ intense defense, allowing M-A to close the quarter ahead 36-24.
The fourth quarter kicked off with Gray drawing a foul and converting on both free throws. Carlmont attempted a comeback with a three and a layup, but it was to no avail as Fakapelea answered by driving hard to the basket for a layup. After the Scots scored on back-to-back possessions, Ulukivaiola helped the Bears maintain their lead by finishing inside to make it 42-33 with 4:38 remaining.
From there, M-A stayed composed and controlled the tempo, holding the ball for the final two minutes and letting the shot clock wind down to seal the 43-33 victory.
“What went well is our shots. We were really able to knock down some good shots and kept pushing ourselves,” Ulukivaiola said. “What we could’ve done better is our offense. We could’ve won by so much more, but it’s also a mental game and knowing where to be and where to pass.”
“We didn’t panic when things weren’t going our way early,” Gray said. “Once we started moving the ball and playing our game, everything settled down for us.”
The Bears will travel to face the Mills Vikings on Tuesday evening at 6 p.m.
*Gracie Bullard is a journalist for the M-A Chronicle.
