With back-to-back wins this week, bringing their record to 7–1, the girls basketball season is turning out to be a slam dunk.
On Dec. 9, the team defeated Lake Brantley 55–42. Junior Brooklyn O’Gallagher and sophomore Shelby Maloney led the way offensively, scoring 30 points and 10 points respectively. The following evening, the team beat Lake Nona 66–27, with O’Gallagher scoring 32 points, sophomore Sydney Lohman scoring 17 points and senior Erin McCloud scoring 11 points.
The team kept up their enthusiasm throughout the first game, maintaining their position ahead of the Patriots from the first quarter, which they ended with a 10–7 lead.
The team plays quickly and directly. They efficiently drove the ball directly down the court, passed it consistently and were quick to recover it from the Patriots, breezing past defense time and time again. This seemingly straightforward approach took a lot of behind-the-scenes coordination, as teammates had to rely on each other to execute each of the numerous passes.
“We have to put a lot of trust in each other,” Lohman said. “Even if you feel like maybe they won’t make that shot, still make the extra pass, because at the end of the day, it’s still a better shot.”
During one play against Lake Brantley, the team stole the ball and passed it through every player before making a three-point shot. Moments like this relied on the reaction times, speed and synchronization of athletes. This also requires the team to build trust, both on and off the court.
“I think our team is a lot closer this year,” McCloud said. “We all support each other so much more than we have [in] the past seasons. And it’s really just a great environment.”
Despite being out of the game for the first two quarters due to a foul, McCloud contributed six points to the win.
“It’s just grit and, really, effort, which a lot of people lack,” McCloud said. “But I feel like that’s one of the biggest things in basketball. If you want it, you’re going to get it.”
In the Lake Nona game, the team started out with a close lead, but broadened the gap in the second half.
“After our halftime in the locker room, we all talked about it, and we decided that we need to try our best no matter what, even if we’re winning a lot,” Lohman said. “So we just kept racking up the score.”
Coming off of their singular 89–58 loss to Lake Howell on Dec. 5, the team hoped to regain momentum from their previous winning streak.
“[The win] was needed,” McCloud said. “Our morale was really low, and so knowing that we have a win and we can push that game to the side and really have a fresh start just makes all the difference.”
In preparation for the games, the teams watched film of previous games and had intense practices with harder workouts than usual.
“It’s definitely tiring [to play two games back-to-back], but when you win one game, it gives you motivation to keep winning the next,” Lohman said.
The team will take on Tohopekaliga at 5:30 p.m. tonight in the main gymnasium at Tohopekaliga High School, then on Dec. 16, they will host Seminole in the Tundra.
“Next for the team, we have a little bit harder games,” Lohman said. “But I think since we’re building so much, and we’ll build a lot more over winter break too, that we’ll be able to come out with those wins as well.”
