Lady Dons beat Knights 37-24

The Aragon girls varsity basketball team emerged victorious against Hillsdale on Jan. 25. After an extended, trying streak, Aragon beat their long-standing rival 37-24.

The game was looking hopeful when Aragon scored the first four points. Sophomore Nicole Muranaga comments, “It’s very exciting, but I’m also nervous since Hillsdale is our biggest rival. There’s a lot of tension—some of it is good, and some of it is bad.”

The first quarter ended 13-6 as Aragon dominated with a strong defense. Team Captain Megan Pham comments, “Our defense was really strong, and we really adjusted to each other when we played on the team and after we lost several key players.”

In the second quarter, Aragon pulled ahead 26-15. Commenting on their strategy, Muranaga says, “Our team strategies are to make our defense our offense and what that means is that if you play really good defense, it keeps the other team from scoring and gives you a chance to score.” With more practice, Pham is “pretty confident that [they] can win.”

Putting away a slew of points, Aragon almost secured victory in the third quarter at 35-15. Freshman Maya Collins says, “I learned to really be tough and be aggressive and to just forget about your mistakes.” This was evident as the girls continuously took possession of the ball.

In the final quarter, however, Aragon struggled to maintain their lead. Junior Samantha Haupeakui comments, “So far, we’ve struck a rough patch of losses, but I know that’ll only help us out in the long run. The way we see it, we know how it stings to look at your home scoreboard and know the numbers are for the other team.”

Haupeakui adds, “Those losses are what we’re going to remember going into these next games, because nobody likes a loss, and now we’ve convinced ourselves we’re not going to have one. We’re tired of it.” With this outlook on competition, this success was highly anticipated. Says Junior Alyssa Mangaoang, “It’s awesome. We’ve been working our butts off and we haven’t been able to pull through and now we’ve finally won.”

Coach Annette Gennaro says, “We have about four girls injured, so it’s been tough. New players, because of our injuries, have been getting a lot more playing time which normally doesn’t happen, so hopefully in the long run it will pay off since they will have more experience down the line.”

The girls varsity basketball team has been working diligently to improve their game. Pham says, “On the court we always start the practice off with 20 doubles. Down, back, down, and back is one. And we have to make all twenty under thirty seconds. We do that plus all of the drills we do keep us in shape.”

Even though the season is almost coming to an end, the team is looking forward to playing their hardest on the final games. Haupeakui comments, “To Gennaro, these thirteen girls, as a team and individual[s], have some reason to be on this team and to play basketball. Whether it’s their height, their shot, their quick thinking, or just their sheer will; point is, every one of these players has something in themselves that they can contribute to this team. Now all we’re doing is perfecting it to a T, to be able to come to the last game, or any game really, with the confidence of a team of thirteen girls who are prepared.”

Reflecting their pride in the season’s practice and game, senior Chanel Joyce adds, “I’ve had so many memories with this team, and I’m just going to leave my heart out on that floor for them and my coaches. No matter what the outcome is, I am confident we will all come together as a team and play for not only ourselves but our coaches and families and anyone else who has supported us.”