After suffering a defeat in last week’s home game, the varsity girls’ basketball team battled it out against Bowie High School on Friday, Dec. 16. With their strong defense and efficient communication, the Lady Warriors were able to bring home a huge margin of victory over the Bulldogs, finishing 68-40.

“We played a really solid game,” varsity girls’ coach Doug Davalos said. “Bowie is a very well-coached team, they’re a playoff-caliber team, but we had such an advantage inside and we exploited that.”

The first quarter began with Kandyce Shepard ‘17 winning the tip-off and putting the first two points of the game on the board. Though a foul by the Warriors led to the Bulldogs quickly catching up, Allyah Beaty ‘18 ran through the Bulldogs’ defense, finishing with a layup to regain the lead. A foul by the Bulldogs followed, where Meaghan Hendricks ‘18 scored another two points, ending the first quarter 12-7.

Continuing with their dynamic attacks, the second quarter only served to widen the Warriors’ lead. Two three-pointers from Danielle Davalos ‘19 and multiple rebounds by Shepard allowed the Warriors to pull even farther ahead, leaving for halftime with a score of 35-17.

“We just played a solid all-around game,” Coach Davalos said. “We protected the paint well, and still defended the three-point line.”

Coming back from halftime, the Lady Warriors continued to display their ability to work as a team, with Marilyn Robinson ‘17 sinking a two-pointer, followed by the Warriors calling their first timeout of the game. The third quarter was marked with multiple rebounds and two-pointers by Shepard, as well as a steal leading to a two-pointer by Madison Couch ‘17. Though the Bulldogs gained points through fouls, the Lady Warriors were able to maintain a strong lead of 50-30.

Going into the last quarter 20 points ahead, the Lady Warriors’ well-thought-out attacks added points to their ever-growing lead. Points were racked up by Couch after a foul by the Bulldogs, followed by a rebound and multiple two-pointers. Ryan Bowen ‘18 put three more points on the board, and the game finished after McKenna Lindley ‘18 sank a two-pointer. The Lady Warriors were able to keep their opponents at 40 points, displaying their solid defense.

“If you keep a team [at or] under 40 points you’re doing a really good job defensively, you’re holding them what you need to, and we did that tonight, so you can’t ask for much more than that,” Couch said.

Aside from having a great defensive game, Shepard was able to showcase her offensive skills, having scored a total of 18 points during the game, the most out of all the players on the team.

“[Shepard] had an amazing game, and it was really good to see that,” Couch said. “I’m so happy that I got to see her play as well as we all know she can.”

The Lady Warriors will play their next game against Pflugerville High School on Monday, Dec. 19 at 12:30 p.m..