The Aragon girls basketball team (2-1 overall, 0-0 Peninsula Athletic League) has just begun its season. Finishing second in the Central Coast Section last year, the team is hoping to continue their success in the coming season.
The varsity team also has three new freshman members: Jordan Beaumont, Beth Parangan and Megan Grant.
“I’m excited to play this season especially since I played with all of the same players during the summer league,” Beaumont said. “We are aiming to make it to state, and we have a lot of trust with one another so this will be a fun season.”
Junior Lydia Manu notes that the team has benefited from the support of head coach Sam Manu and assistant coach Richard Stevens and Kristie Hala’ufia.
“They push us and motivate us to get better and work on our skills,” Manu said. “[They] treat us like family.”
This ambitious team, however, faces driving challenges as they work hard to meet their goals and defeat rivals, including Valley Christian High School, who the Dons lost to 57-36 in CCS.
“They are a great team overall, and they beat us in the [CCS] championship game, so we are looking to defeat them this year,” said sophomore Lydia Manu.
This season, the team is trying a new strategy where they frequently substitute five players at a time, so they can press full court over the course of the entire game.
The team still remains in reach of their winnings after their loss to Valley Christian. Aragon has still won several times against Hillsdale and San Mateo over the past year, including a 59-45 victory over the Knights on Feb. 9.
The team clearly has made success in the past, and as long as they keep up with it, they are confident that they will make it to state. This, however, might be dependent on beating Valley Christian.
“We are determined to make it to state, and I have no doubt that we will get back into the championship,” Parangan said. “We do have setbacks but that’s not going to stop us from trying our best.”
