By: Katie Mitchell
The Mira Costa Girls Basketball Team spent the week competing in the annual Providence Tournament, where they ended with a record of 3-1. The tournament took place from Wednesday, Dec. 4th through Saturday, December 7th.
The Mustangs played a total of 4 over the course of 4 days, including Immaculate Heart, West Lake, La Salle, and Heritage Christian. They ended the tournament in third place with an overall 3-1 record, where they only lost to La Salle in the third round, 49-57.
“I think we did a great job as a team and we’re getting better each game,” senior shooting guard Skylar Herdman said. “I am excited for our games coming up and I’m confident that we will do well. We have worked hard for these wins.”
During the first round against Immaculate Heart High School, the Mustangs didn’t miss a beat as they went into the tournament with determination and focus. They were able to keep a steady lead throughout the game and closed it out with the final score of 56-21, allowing them to advance to the second round.
“We hustled and played really well as a team today,” sophomore point guard Cara Susilo said. “Although they had solid defence and rebounding, I think our ball movement allowed us to get easy shots. Our defense really played a big role in this game by preventing the other team from executing what they wanted, which lead them to start throwing turnovers.”
The girls didn’t get much time to rest as they had the 2nd round the following day against West Lake High School. Although it was close, the Mustangs began to pull ahead towards the end and finished the game with high spirits and good energy. They ended the second round successfully with the close score of 50-42.
“We played really well and worked together,” senior Kim Waller said. “Our offense was very smooth and we executed our plays really well. The guards shot great today, and we communicated well on defense. We did a good job staying aggressive enough to keep them out of the paint.”
On Friday, the girls fought to keep their momentum when they played against La Salle High School during the third round. From the start, the Lancers were using all of their energy to break the Mustangs focus and confidence. The Mustangs fought hard, communicating and working together to try and overcome the Lancers. As close as the game was, the Mustangs unfortunately fell short to the Lancers 49-57.
“We did a good job of keeping our energy on the court and on the bench throughout the entire game,” Herdman said. “I think we just didn’t play defense as well as we wanted to.”
The Mustangs didn’t let their loss phase them, as they went into Saturday’s game against Heritage Christian High School with determination to win and come back from their loss. They were able to keep the lead throughout the game, and didn’t give the Knights any free points or opportunities in order to stay ahead. In the end, the Mustangs finished the game with the score of 67-45, leaving their overall record in the tournament to be 3-1.
“As a team, we were able to work together and make improvements where they were needed,” senior forward Amanda Barba said. “Our team is improving so much, and we are getting stronger and stronger each game!”
The Mustangs are scheduled to play their first league game against Torrance High School on Wednesday, Dec. 11 at 6:00 at Torrance.
“We have made a lot of progress in the past three months of intense practice,” Barba said. “Based on the introduction of the tournament this week, I believe we can go far in Bay League and even win overall. Also, at this rate, I believe we can make it far in CIF.”
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