Girls’ basketball team suffers 57-39 loss to Lynbrook

The girls’ basketball team suffered a 57-39 defeat against Lynbrook on Jan. 23. Although the game resulted in a loss, it was a hard-fought contest.

“I think as a team, we played hard,” senior forward Hannah Johnson said. “It was just an unlucky night for us offensively.” 

This sentiment was echoed by senior Neha Vellanki.

“We all knew it was going to be a tough game because Lynbrook was undefeated, but I still think we played really well. We started the game out working really hard, and we didn’t let their record affect us mentally,” said Vellanki.

Still, the result did not meet the team’s expectations.

 “I think we could have played a lot better,” said Johnson. “Lynbrook is one of the best teams in our league, if not the best, and we didn’t play up to their level. Our offense could be improved on.”

According to Vellanki, the game was close all the way up into the third quarter when Lynbrook pulled ahead.

“It was disappointing to lose, but that just means we have to work harder for the second half of the season and CCS,” said Vellanki.

In terms of improvement, Johnson said, “We should probably work together better on the court, with better communication and better connection with passes, and looking to score on good shots rather than bad ones.”

Johnson expressed some disappointment at how this season has gone so far, especially as a senior.

“We have struggled this year, but it hasn’t gotten the morale down. If we keep supporting each other and don’t get frustrated,” said Johnson, “we’ll have a good rest of the season.”

The next game was on Feb. 6 against Gunn. After that, there are only two games left: on Feb. 13 against Lynbrook, and on Feb. 15 against Wilcox. Then, the team will be headed to CCS on Feb. 21.

Last year at CCS, the team made it to the quarter finals, only to lose against Sacred Heart Cathedral. Currently, their league standing is 1-6. After completely dominating the lower echelons of the girls’ basketball world, the Saratoga team is now taking on the upper levels with varying degrees of success.

This year, the team will be participating in “open division,” which is inclusive only to private schools and high-level public schools. Because of that, Johnson believes that the team will have a chance at going further in CCS than last year.