Girls’ basketball has varied results

By Luke Casola ’20

Girls’ basketball teams have demonstrated hard work and dedication throughout the season and have received the results that they desired.  The program competes on four levels: varsity, JV, eighth grade and seventh grade. The Wolverine mindset is focused on intensity and effort. They prove that “together with purpose” is a fitting motto to show the program’s commitment and unification.
This year, varsity has been the role model for the younger teams, finishing with a record of 22-3 (6-2 in league).  Not only did they have a winning record, but they also competed in the toughest division in the state, the Mission League, playing against other teams like Chaminade and Alemany.  The squad is coached by program head Melissa Hearlihy and assistant coaches Bridgette Jenkins and Ronald Sampson.  This year’s varsity squad consisted of nine players, three of them being seniors.  As the seniors, Justine Barraza ‘17, Sydney Tsutsui ‘17 and Dani Mirell ‘17 have acted as the leaders, teaching the lower classmen about varsity basketball.  Overall, this team consists of young players and should be able continue their success in future seasons.  Varsity is competing in the Open Division, which is the most challenging division during the CIF Playoffs.  The squad won their first CIF playoff game against Mater Dei on Feb. 18.  The squad played Lakeside on Wednesday but results were unavailable as of press time. With a win, the team will move on to play on Saturday.
“It’s amazing to play with teams that are competitive enough to be in the Open Division. It creates an exciting challenge and we’re looking forward to meeting it. I also know that we must be focused every time we step on the court to prove that we are worthy of an Open Division title,” guard Genesis Aire ‘19 said.
The junior varsity squad adds to the girls’ basketball team’s success and depth as a program.  The JV team competes in the Mission League and finished the season with a record of 13-7 (4-4 in league).  Similar to varsity, this team is composed of underclassmen, including two freshmen, Rileigh Repovich ‘20 and Mirabella Wong ‘20.  The squad is coached by Millie Junio and Allen Foster.  The JV squad tries to mimic the varsity team’s intensity and effort during practice, so that the hard work will show on the court in games.  Although there are not any playoffs for JV, the team was still proud its season.
“I think that this season we worked really hard, but we didn’t get the results that we desired. Although our team may not have gotten the results we wanted, we all stuck together no matter what. And, we still grew as a whole team,” Repovich, who plays forward said.
The middle school consists of two teams; red and black.  Both teams had a season to gain experience and to improve on their game.  The black team finished with an even record of 3-3.  Hearlihy oversees the middle school teams, incorporating the varsity offense and defense into their game plan.  Many black team players said that they feel positive about their season.
“I thought that as a team, we all improved individually and as a team. Although we did not make playoffs, I’m extremely proud of how hard my team fought throughout the season.  We did a great job overall, win or lose, everyone played hard until the last second of each game,” forward Naomi Attal ‘21 said.
The red team finished with an overall record of 1-4.  The squad lost to Campbell Hall on Jan. 31 in their last regular season game. Red team forward Quincey Dern ‘22 and forward Amelia Scharff ‘22 said that they both enjoyed playing on the team this season. Despite a losing record, the players look to come back next year with more dedication to win more games and improve as a unit.
“I think that our team played really well. At the beginning of the season, we could barely do anything, and we weren’t doing well, but we all worked really hard and came together as a team, and because of that, we started doing so much better,” Scharff said.