Photo Credit: Alessandro Riedel
On February 1, the Aragon girls varsity basketball team (4-4 Peninsula Athletic League) defeated Sequoia (2-6 PAL), with a score of 46-28.
Sequoia controlled the tip to start the game but didn’t maintain possession for long before the Dons got the ball and senior Maddie McGinty sank a three-pointer to start the scoring. With their strong defensive pressure, Aragon held Sequoia to two points. Meanwhile, their quick rotation and passing helped them score twelve with junior Maya Yoo and senior Grace Nai each scoring two and McGinty scoring eight.
The Dons came out strong in the second quarter, dominating with aggressive defense that led to multiple steals. The Aragon bench showed their support for the team.
“A lot of our energy radiates off of the bench,” said junior shooting guard Angie Alvarenga. “They are the backbone of the game and their support really pushes us to play hard.”
Junior power forward Yasmina Asfour agrees.
“I know sometimes it’s really hard to continue playing when you’re not really in the right mental space … So if we can keep encouraging each other I think we’ll improve a lot,” Asfour said.
In the second quarter, Aragon scored 13 points, including three pointers from McGinty and Alvarenga, ending the half with a 25-9 lead over Sequoia. At halftime, head coach Sam Manu reminded the team to focus on defense, force left and combine aggressive play with smart and strategic attacks.
“Besides defense, we talked about calming down because we had a lot of turnovers and we really wanted to try to relax with the ball,” Alvarenga said. “So we went back into the game trying to be calm and have composure, and it really helped us have a successful second half.”
The Dons didn’t slow down in the third quarter, with junior forward Maya Pappas scoring to start the second half. This was followed by another three pointer from McGinty followed with another three pointer, the fourth of five she scored throughout the night. The game got aggressive in the quarter, with both teams picking up fouls and players going to the floor to battle for the ball. Although Sequoia outscored Aragon by one point in the quarter, the Dons strong first half assured them the lead going into the fourth quarter, 35-20.
In the fourth, Sequoia played good defense, forcing the Dons to shoot from outside as the shot clock wound down. But Aragon’s offense responded with two three-pointers from McGinty and Nai, and Sequoia was unable to disrupt Aragon’s selfless passing. While the game was hard-fought, Aragon’s victory was inevitable, ending with a score of 46-28.
“I am happy with the effort and proud of the girls for their teamwork and energy on the court tonight,” Manu said after the game. “Every day we are just trying to get better, and that comes with lots of hard work and practice. I think that our work is really being reflected in the game.”
A win does not mean that the team will stop thinking about what they can do better in future games. Following a 5-7 preseason challenged by the loss of multiple of last year’s seniors and a 60-25 loss against Los Gatos and 52-27 against Palo Alto in December, the Dons came into the regular season knowing what they needed to work on.
“Communication is just a huge thing we need to work on as a team,” Pappas said. “There are a few times that we weren’t vocal and it resulted in bad passes or turnovers … If we’re not communicating well, then we’re not playing well as a team.”
Despite the challenging preseason, however, the team continues to work hard with the goal of making it to CCS. Playing new teams, the team has been trying to figure out new strategies and styles of play. They currently have an even record of 4-4 and are 5th in the league.
The Dons’ next home game will be Feb. 10 at 7:45 p.m.
*Stats as of Feb. 2
