After a thrilling run to the Central Coast Section championship, the Aragon girls basketball team (10-2 Peninsula Athletic League, 18-12 overall) lost to Union Mine (9-1 Sierra Valley League, 23-8 overall) on Feb. 28 in the second round of the California Interscholastic Federation playoffs.
Beginning the game with the first two points, the Dons quickly fell behind due to a lack of communication on both defense and offense. Finishing the first quarter 13-2, Union Mine leading, the second quarter consisted of strong offense from Union Mine and inconsistent free throw shooting from the Dons, who were only able to execute two points out of their three opportunities on the line and ended the first half behind 27-7.
“When I talked to my players before this game, I told them to not underestimate this team, not to treat them as a 16th seed,” head coach Sam Manu said. “They were an excellent team, and they proved it tonight. We played about the worst half in three years this first half. We only put up seven points. That’s never been anything we’ve done.”
The second half, the Dons came out with a renewed sense of energy and aggression. Junior captain and point guard Lydia Manu scored the first points within the first 10 seconds in a breakaway and successful layup attempt. That initial intensity carried them throughout the third quarter, with Aragon putting up 14 points compared to Union Mine’s 10. Finishing 35-21 headed into the final quarter with Union Mine still in the lead, the energy from Aragon’s home crowd continued to influence their comeback.
“Anything we did, no matter how we played, they supported us … We made it exciting even though the first half was disappointing.”
Senior captain and shooting guard Jalene Parangan began the fourth half with a layup, followed by a two for two free throw attempt and two three pointers from Lydia Manu. Alongside another three pointer from freshman guard Jordan Beaumont, the Dons managed to bring the score within six points at 40-34.
“Losing that first half like we did, I think the second half really showed their heart,” Sam Manu said. “They didn’t quit. They were in tears at halftime because they were so disappointed at how they played. They came back.”
Despite their comeback, Union Mine pulled away in the last three minutes, scoring another six points to win the game, ending the Dons season.
Aragon began their playoffs as the 10th seed in the CCS tournament. Starting strong, the Dons dominated the first round of CCS with their 53-33 win against Woodside (1-10 PAL, 12-11 overall) on Feb. 19. This marked the beginning of their record setting journey to the top of CCS and beyond.
The game started off with Woodside winning the tip-off but attempting to score on their own basket. Aragon’s junior guard Angie Olive got the rebound and scored Aragon’s first two points with composure. The first quarter ended with the Dons doubling Woodside’s points, finishing with a score of 14-7.
“I think our best quarter was probably our first quarter,” said sophomore forward Savannah Mapa. “I think we started off pretty good, just communicating on defense and doing some plays … and just looking up and looking forward to handle the ball.”
In the second quarter, the Dons demonstrated their intensity. Within the first six minutes of the second quarter, Beaumont stole the ball at half-court and sprinted to the basket tailed closely by a Woodside player. Beaumont managed to get her shot off as she fell to the ground, scoring two points for the Dons.
“I think today was successfully good,” said senior center and captain Lia Lilomaiava. “I think the reason why is because we were mentally there with our energy … It kept us through the game, on and off the bench.”
The Dons also almost shut out the Wildcats in the second quarter, only allowing them two points, which were earned on free throws.
“We had a very rough game last week, and after the [Feb. 11 CCS playoff] game [against South San Francisco] our team had to decide whether we wanted CCS or not,” said Lydia Manu. “We’ve been practicing to push through that hard loss … Tonight, it showed what our hard work was for.”
Aragon ended the night on a strong note, never coming close to falling behind the Wildcats.
The Dons continued their winning streak with a 53-46 semifinals win against Leland High School (7-3 Blossom Valley-Mt. Hamilton League, 16-10 overall) on Feb. 21.
Heading into the finals, head coach Sam Manu described what the experience truly meant for the team, including the history behind the team’s achievement.
“Three years ago, when we started, we said our goal was to make state. The first year, we made it to the quarterfinals of CCS, last year we made it to the championship game of CCS, and so this year we wanted to win the championship,” Sam Manu said. “For the girls who started three years ago, they really built the program and some of them are graduating now. When we got to that game, we knew it was a chance for us to make history.”
The Dons then beat Lynbrook (12-0 Santa Clara Valley- El Camino League, 22-5 overall) in the CCS finals on Feb. 23, 53-48. Lydia Manu explained that they were able to clench the title despite being behind for most of the game.
“It was the biggest relief and biggest accomplishment, not only for me but for our whole team. To finally obtain [our goal], through such a crazy way, we just continued to work and we just played our hearts out,” Lydia Manu said. “Even though we were losing and down by a lot, we just keep fighting and I’m so proud of the girls.”
Winning the CCS championship gave Aragon its first girls basketball CCS champion title.
“I appreciate all their hard work, and I love each and every one of them. They kept building the program up, even girls that have already graduated,” Lydia Manu said. “Winning [the championship] was really a result of all of that coming together.”
The Dons then headed into the first round of the CIF Division III state tournament, traveling five hours to face Eureka (5-3 Humboldt-Del Norte-Big 5 League, 21-11 overall) on Feb. 26.
“We got a big lead in the fourth quarter and just rode that all the way to the end”
“We got to the hotels, we all had rooms that we shared with each other, that was a great experience,” Lydia Manu said. “Just the traveling and the flooding with the crazy weather made the experience so much more memorable.”
The game was extremely close, with the Dons trailing at halftime.
“We started out slow that game — Lydia carried us that first half. I told [the girls] at halftime, we can’t have just one person carrying us, it has to be a team effort,” Sam Manu said. “We played great defense the second half, everybody contributed, and then we got a big lead in the fourth quarter and just rode that all the way to the end.”
The Dons managed to keep the lead until the end, gaining a victory with a final score of 47-44.
“When we went to Eureka High School, they had a big turn out and a big crowd … We just had each other, we only had each other’s backs, because everyone else there was against us,” Lydia Manu said. “We just had to hold our own, and we did just that. It was a crazy game, only winning by three.”
After traveling to the utmost part of Northern California, the Dons had the luxury of hosting the second round of state competition. They competed against Union Mine (9-1 Sierra Valley League, 23-8 overall) on Feb. 28, losing 46-34.
Lydia described the experience as a captain.
“I want to lead the team, and I’m working my hardest to do so, but at the same time the whole team leads us,” Lydia Manu said. “We worked our butts off to be here — it’s very rewarding.”
*All photos taken by Mikayla Kaliski
