On Friday, Nov. 9 the varsity girls’ basketball team faced off against the Hutto Hippos in a fast-paced and high-scoring match that ended 79-30 in the Warriors’ favor. The victory puts them at 3-0, adding another victory to their undefeated start to the season.

The matchup began with some remarkable offense from the Warrior side as the starting five proceeded to rack up 13 unanswered points in the early minutes of the first quarter. Head Coach Doug Davalos then substituted all five starters off the court, which led to a considerable decline in momentum and a 10-6 scoring run for the Hippos.

“When we [substituted], I thought they were bad defensively, they fouled too much, and missed some easy opportunities, “Coach Davalos said. “That second group going in gave up all the points, so we lost for that five minutes [of the game]. From that point point on, we won every stretch. That’s why I was ticked off, because I thought our defense was bad, because we were fouling and reaching.”

Despite the early defensive hiccup, the Warriors led the scoreboard throughout the game and rarely gave Hutto the chance to do anything productive with the basketball, as critical rebounds from Makayla Coy ‘19 and Kooper Giles ‘20 kept the Warriors in possession of the ball while extinguishing Hutto’s scoring opportunities. As the buzzer sounded to end the first half, the Warriors found themselves with a comfortable 43-20 lead.

In the second half, the Warriors continued to run up the score while only conceding 10 points to the Hippos, as opposed to the 20 they yielded in the first half. It was clear that Coach Davalos voiced his defensive concerns during halftime, and the Warriors gave up substantially fewer fouls while capitalizing on fast-break opportunities, netting several baskets. The offensive momentum peaked as transitions led by Annalise Galliguez ‘20 and Anisha Chintala ‘21 led to several uncontested points. Coy also added a few points during the offensive breaks, netting a 3-point-play from an “and one” after being thrown to the ground by a Hutto player while still making a layup. Danielle Davalos ‘19 and Kenzie Beckham ‘21 were the main offensive threats with a combined 30 points from the court and two three-pointers apiece.

“What happened in the second half, is we stopped fouling,” Coach Davalos said. “We got stops, and every time we got a stop, we got transition points. Those were all a result of playing good defense. The transition in the second half all stemmed from great defense.”

The clock trickled down and the Warriors emerged victorious, putting up 36 points in the second half compared to Hutto’s 10. The season is just beginning, and players acknowledge the dangers of complacency, admitting that there are still many aspects of their game that need work.

“We did good, and we just had fun. We played as a team, and we weren’t selfish with the ball. [We need to work on] everything. There’s always room to improve,” Rylee Crider ‘21 said.

Coach Davalos held the same belief. This early in the season, it’s clear that all aspects of the Warriors’ game could benefit from practice and preparation.

“Here’s the great thing about basketball. You go from offense to defense, defense to offense. In between that, you’ve got rebounds and all kinds of stuff. We have to work on every aspect. Every day, little things need to improve,” Coach Davalos said.  

The Lady Warriors continue their undefeated season at 7 p.m. on Nov. 13 at home against the Rouse Raiders.