On Jan. 21, the Aragon girls varsity basketball team (9-9 overall) lost 54-36 to the Menlo Atherton Bears (17-3 overall).
Having played the Bears before, Aragon developed a strategy going into the game Wednesday night.
“We know they have a tough group of girls, so our goals were to win the categories of rebounding and reducing turnovers,” said head coach Kristie Hala’ufia.
This sentiment was echoed by players who reflected on their own experiences from the last match up between these two teams.
“I’m definitely focused on rebounds and ensuring that we are quick to cover the defensive side after we score, since that’s something we struggled with last time,” said junior Saanvi Chawla.
However, despite this preparation, the game got off to a rough start, with Aragon trailing behind by nine points at the end of the first quarter.
The team worked to bridge this gap and prevent Menlo-Atherton from increasing the margin, with senior Daisy Pantoja Beltran contributing heavily on the offensive side. Beltran and senior Ellie McGinty led the team with 12 and 14 points, respectively.
“I thought just doing my job by containing their players, getting the ball down the court and communicating on defense was key,” McGinty said.
The Dons were able to utilize this teamwork well into the second quarter, and held the Bears at just a ten point lead at halftime.
“At halftime … we wanted to continue pushing the ball to get out quick, pass ahead and secure early fast breaks,” Hala’ufia said. “We also switched up our defense a couple of times.”
Another key aspect of the game was adapting to Menlo-Atherton’s aggressive offense, which the Dons managed in a variety of ways. One of these adaptations was from the attacking side, revealing holes in Menlo’s defense.
“Since we’re short for guards, I knew I had to take every shot,” said junior Jaclyn Ruttenberg.
Similarly, some players moved to cover defensive spots to help close the gap from the back line.
“I think we did a good job transitioning, especially after defense, into a more fast-paced game style, just moving the ball while pushing it after every defensive turnover,” McGinty said.
Despite these strong efforts, the Dons entered the final quarter with a score of 43-28, with the Bears firmly in the lead. Menlo-Atherton continued to push through the Dons’ defensive line, with their small and power forwards carrying momentum against Aragon.
The Dons continued to push, with no lack of effort on their part, though the score continued to widen, ending in an 18 point loss.
“I’m just glad we stayed together as a team,” Ruttenburg said. “I think we did that really well. We were able to communicate and just hold each other accountable.”
Despite this setback, the team still found lessons to learn and carry forward into their upcoming games.
“When we’re solid on defense, we can compete with them,” Hala’ufia said. “That’s something we’re going to take away, learn from and get better at.”
From the players’ perspective, numerous players found aspects of their game to improve in anticipation for the next game.
“I hope to take into the next game my defensive breaker and continue to push myself to contain the players,” McGinty said. “[We need to] focus heavily on defense, just rebounding, boxing out and playing good straight-up defense.”
The game against Menlo-Atherton also helped players notice gaps in their skills.
“Personally, I know I need to focus on boxing out more and getting back on defense quickly after a point, since Menlo really took advantage of that,” Chawla said.
With these lessons in mind, the Dons look to bounce back in their next matchup as they continue their season. Aragon girls’ varsity basketball next game will be on Feb. 13 against Half Moon Bay.
