The varsity girls basketball team (14-8 overall, 9-1 Peninsula South League)* defeated Mills (14-8 overall, 6-4 PSL)* on Feb. 8 with a final score of 49-39.
Fifteen seconds into the first quarter, senior point guard Lydia Manu scored the first basket of the game: a three pointer. However, the momentum quickly changed when the Vikings sunk a three and pulled ahead to 6-5. Nevertheless, Aragon still retained a one point lead at the end of the quarter.
The rest of the game, both teams showcased their rebound and passing skills.
“We out rebounded them,” said sophomore shooting guard Mabryn Manu. “We were aggressive to box out and every rebound is another possession for us. Our best shots weren’t our first ones, but our second and third ones.”
However, since the Dons’ best defender, sophomore point guard Beth Parangan, was injured, Aragon was lacking in that area. The score fluctuated a lot, but senior shooting guard Angie Olive was able to give Aragon a boost with her clean shots and assists, ending the second quarter 28-22.
“Our team tends to get sloppy when we’re tired,” Manu said. “It’s hard to play through exhaustion, but we have to keep working on fundamentals every practice so when we’re tired we don’t revert to bad habits.”
In the last quarter, coming in with the score 43-30, the Dons had maintained their lead over the Vikings. However, the Dons gave many free shots to the Vikings, closing the gap to 47-39 after threes from Mills. With 40 seconds left in the game, sophomore power forward Megan Grant scored the last shot of the game; a free throw.
“We have come a long way already,” Manu said. “But it’s a constant battle that we can always improve on.”
The Dons are next set to face Hillsdale (13-8 overall, 5-5 PSL)* in their last game of the season on Feb. 14.
*records as of Feb. 10
