Lady Ravens Advance to CIFs

by Brittany Jahn

The Girls Varsity basketball team had fans on the edge of their seats on Saturday night as they fought against Montgomery High School’s Lady Aztecs for a spot in the CIF Semifinals. While the Lady Ravens pulled out a well-deserved win, the game had fans biting their nails as the outcome of the game came down to the very last seconds.

In the first quarter, the Lady Ravens secured an early lead: 24 to 8, which is a whooping lead of 16 points for those of you who are mathematically challenged. However, just as fans began to get comfortable in the bleachers, the game took an unexpected turn when Montgomery came back to tie the game in the second quarter, causing fans and players to realize that the game was anyone’s to take.

With four minutes left in the third quarter, the Ravens and Aztecs were tied 35 to 35 when Montgomery scored a basket and two more points, leaving the Ravens longing for that early 16 point lead again.

Senior and Varsity veteran Michaela McGuigan recalls the thoughts of the team as the lead turned over to Montgomery: “At that point there was one thing we knew, [Montgomery] was going to fight hard and take it from us if we didn’t fight back.”

And fight back they did. With their defense and offense at the height of the battle and three free throw points made by junior Julia Brew, the win was secured in the last ten seconds of the game.

When asked what it feels like to win such a close game, McGuigan recalls, “It is one of the best feelings in the world. It makes all the hard work, stress and concern worth it.”

McGuigan also addressed the closeness of the game by adding, “We don’t like causing friends and family members to feel as though they are going to have a heart attack, [but] games just turn out that way.”

Come watch this Wednesday as the Lady Ravens battle it out against top seeded Mt. Miguel High School for a spot in the finals.