The Girls Varsity Basketball team was defeated 49-55 in a nail-biter against the South County Stallions on Dec. 15. Their second game into the season, the Atoms are beginning to come together as a team.
“We played well and really came together as a team and not individually,” sophomore Caitlin Schwartz said.
The start of the game, the Atoms won the tip off and began their first quarter run. Spreading the ball around and displaying tremendous defense, the Atoms nearly shut down the Stallions as they took the lead in the first quarter.
“Our first quarter was the best quarter we played this year, we were really solid on defense, we out scored them, and kept them from getting rebounds,” senior Katie Pacak said.
Leading scorers in the first quarter were freshman Sarah Shamdeen and senior Katie Pacak both starting out hot and scoring 4 points in just the first few minutes. The Atoms outplayed the Stallions in the first quarter and were able to rally up a whopping lead over the Stallions 20-6.
However, in the second quarter the Stallions went on a 18-6 run, shortening the Atoms lead to four and making the score 26-22 at halftime.
As the third quarter came along, the Stallions were able to tie up the score 29-29 with four minutes left to go. As the game went on, the Stallions began pulling away, even though many key plays were allowing the Atoms to stay in the game.
Junior Katie Garish led the team in scoring with a total of 14 points. The girls, although disappointed, have also learned from their loss and are prepared for future games down the road.
“I think we can always improve on foul shots, not fouling and finishing off plays, but that will all come together as the season goes on,” sophomore Grace Hatch said.
The girls basketball team prepare to take on the West Springfield Spartans Friday, Dec. 18, at West Springfield at 7:30 pm. The girls expect to bounce back from their loss and are looking forward to future games.