The varsity girls’ basketball team battled against the Pflugerville Panthers Tuesday, Dec. 12 but unfortunately fell short of victory in a final score of 38-47.

“We just gotta be who we are,” head coach Doug Davalos said. “We need to be who we are and what has made us successful.”

Despite keeping the Panthers at bay throughout the beginning of the first quarter with a score of 4-2, the Lady Warriors soon realized that getting a secure lead would be much easier said than done. The Panthers advanced point by point, creeping behind by only  one or two points. This soon became the start for an elaborate dance across the court, both teams fighting for a tie or more. The Panthers soon had the lead with a score of 13-12, but then lost no more than a minute later to the Lady Warriors with a buzzer beater by Kenzie Beckham ‘21, ending the first quarter 16-14.

Coming into the second quarter with their new lead, things began to look better for the Lady Warriors as the battle continued on. Even though they lost their lead from the first quarter to a Panther three pointer, (16-17) Megan Hendricks ‘18 was ready to help her teammates regain their inertia from the beginning of the game (18-17). And even with Beckham making the shot that gave the Lady Warriors a 20-19 score, there would still be no real lead for either team.

It was unfortunately here that things began to deteriorate for the Lady Warriors. The Panthers’ attack was vicious and left behind a large lead that the Lady Warriors would not fully recover from. Despite falling behind in points, the team kept their heads held high and continued onwards. Their determination was soon rewarded with a successful three pointer from Annalise Galliguez ‘20, pulling the Lady Warriors out of their momentary slump. After a quick time-out, the Lady Warriors’ defense and offense kick into high gear, leaving both sides of the court on the edge of their seats watching one team fight to close a lead and the other fight to keep it. In the end, the Lady Warriors walked off the court into half time with just a five-point difference of 27-32.

“Our girls played extremely hard,” Davalos said. “We don’t always play tough enough, but we played very hard and with a lot of effort.”

After half time had finished, the Lady Warriors lept right in where they left off and returned to the action with newfound spirit. Although maybe a little tired from the last half, they still continued to fight through the Panthers defense and whatever effects of the first two quarters they felt. The Panthers’ weren’t hesitating either, and another neck and neck fight ensued as the points slowly began to add up on both sides one shot at a time, going from 27-37 to 27-40. Despite things looking a little grim, the Lady Warriors never wavered in determination, continuing to push back until the third buzzer sounded and revealed a score of 32-43.

The fourth and final quarter of the game began with a lot of sound. The echoed stomping and shouting from the crowd bounced off the walls and surrounded the 10 girls on the court, letting them know that they were not alone and that the people in the stands were giving them their full support as the final eight minutes began to tick away. Those eight minutes were mostly filled with both teams shooting free-throw after free-throw as fouls began to stack up in defensive desperation. When it came down to the final minute, the Lady Warriors were still down by nine points, 38-47. The bleachers came alive as the last few seconds faded away, each side on the edge as the final shot was made and the final score revealed a 38-47 loss for the Lady Warriors.

Even though the Lady Warriors walked out of the gym with a loss instead of a victory, they can easily take what this hard battle taught them and push to the next game to come out with a win for Westwood.

“(We can) limit our turnovers and be smart with the way we handle the ball against pressure,” said Galliguez, “and against Cedar Ridge especially.”

Catch the varsity girls’ team this Friday night Dec. 15 against Cedar Ridge at Cedar Ridge at 7 p.m..