The varsity girls basketball team scored more than double the points than their opponents, Homestead High School, in its last game within the El Camino Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL), securing the title of league champions. They headed off to Central Coast Section Division II playoffs ranked fourth and advanced to the final championship game, where they lost to Aragon High School 53-48. However, they were able to win a semifinal close game of 49-48 against Wilcox High School, ranked first in the division. As a result, they advanced to CIF State Division III Regional playoffs as fourteenth place in the state.

The players attribute their success to their teamwork and commitment, as they complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Around 12 hours a week are spent together, both at practice and at team bonding activities, such as dinners and sleepovers. As a result, the girls have become close with each other on and off the court.

“We had a really good group that bought in,” said coach Lynley Takaki. “The girls were more committed this year and everyone understood their role from the beginning.”

As co-league champions last year, the team made it their goal this year to further improve and claim a sole title to the league championship.

“The pressure as co-league champions for the previous varsity team members and the coach has put pressure on the new incoming varsity members like my friends and me,” said junior Allison Li. “They expect more from us, so we have to work our hardest to achieve this goal.”

The team faced various obstacles on their path to success, but they were able to overcome them through hard work. One of their biggest difficulties was the players’ smaller statures in comparison to those of players from other schools. In previous years, Lynbrook had taller players. For example, the team had to work on rebounding, retrieving a ball after a missed field goal or free throw, because the skill did not come as easily to them due to their height. They also employed various other strategies during games in order to compensate.

“When we’re going against other teams that are taller and bigger when the ball gets to the post, it’s tough to block them or stop them, so we have to double up someone and leave another player undefended,” said senior and captain Kavitha Thirumaran. “We have to be smarter about it because of the height differences. We’re doing a good job of overcoming them.”

During practices, the team also focuses on its opponents’ strategies in order to better prepare for games. The players analyze what the other teams’ plays are and find out who their strongest players are so they can know what to expect.

The players’ hard work culminated in their many wins, as they were undefeated in SCVAL and runner-ups in CCS Division II. Throughout the season, the team has made many memories through spending time with each other and playing together.

“I’m really going to miss it. It’s going to be tough to let go. I feel like I’ve really bonded with all these girls and doing what we’ve done so far is amazing,” said Thirumaran. “We got to the CCS Championships this year and even though we lost I’m proud that we made it there.”