Rowdy fans and high tensions provided the backdrop for the Friday, Dec. 14 varsity girls’ basketball game, which saw the Warriors demolish the McNeil Mavericks in a one-sided blowout that ended 66-28. Makayla Coy ‘19 had a highlight performance, leading the team with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Danielle Davalos ‘19 also added 11 points, nine of which were from the free throw line.  

The first quarter began with high energy and aggression from both sides. Coy quickly made her presence felt by grabbing a pass in the paint and scoring a layup in the opening seconds of the game, putting the home team on the board. McNeil immediately matched the Warriors’ intensity and scored to tie the game 2-2, the closest the score would be throughout the entire contest. The Warriors began broadening the gap as their aggressive defense produced plenty of offensive opportunities. At the end of the first quarter, the Warriors found themselves with a commanding 29-9 lead.

“I thought our energy on defense was about as good as we’ve had in about three weeks,” Head Coach Doug Davalos said. “We played defense with a real purpose and passion. When you start the game with that mentality, your offense follows in line.”

The second quarter would be the most dominant segment of the night for the Warriors, who held the Mavericks to only two points, while adding 14 more themselves. McNeil fouled often, sending Danielle Davalos to the free throw line a total of five times throughout the night. Defensive rebounds by Kenzie Beckham ‘21 and Desi Davalos ‘22 led to a fast-break offense that converted efficiently within the paint. At the halftime buzzer, the Warriors were ahead 43-11.

“I think we did better communicating on defense, helping the helper, and being in gaps and focusing on defense and giving good energy, but there’s always room for improvement,” Coy said. “We need to work on being more patient on offense and to not just throw the ball into [open] spaces, but getting open more.”

The Warriors’ momentum slowed in the second half as their starters rested on the bench, but McNeil was unable to convert their opportunities into points due to rigorous team defense from the Warriors’ side. Further frustration from McNeil created more fouls, one of which sent Oni Boodoo ‘19 to the bench, hurt after a collision with a McNeil player. In the waning seconds of the game, McNeil’s guard received a technical foul for charging, and was ejected from the game.

“It was good that everybody got a lot of minutes in this game,” Coach Davalos said. “Sometimes when that happens you end up with combinations that aren’t used to playing together, so that can cause some difficulties”.

The Warriors will look to continue building on this win in their next matchup against the Vandegrift Vipers on Wednesday, Jan. 2 at Vandegrift High School.