JV Girls Basketball Defeated by Vista Ridge

Sophia Sartor, Heritage Co-Chief| January 9, 2023

  • Stretching up, Grace McCluskey ’26 gets a hand on the ball. Mcluskey was able to tip the ball towards a teammate, starting the game strong.

    Sophia Sartor
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  • Bypassing defensive forces, Jackon Bowen ’26 goes up for a layup. The team made several baskets in the final quarter of the game.

    Sophia Sartor
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  • Concentrating on the basket, Claire Lee ’26 shoots a free throw. This is one of the seven Lee would make during the game.

    Sophia Sartor
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  • Jumping into the air, Ava Sartor ’25 lets the ball fly. Sartor played solid defense against Vista Ridge throughout the game.

    Sophia Sartor
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The JV girl’s basketball team suffered a loss to Vista Ridge on Friday, Jan. 6. Despite making several free throws and consistently driving the ball to the basket, the Warriors were unable to close the gap, ending the game with a final score of 68-36.

“I think I definitely had a rough game in the beginning,” Claire Lee ‘26 said. “I kind of panicked a bit and had a lot of turnovers, but I think as I got used to the rhythm of the game I got more into it.”

Vista Ridge started strong, quickly taking the lead with a three-pointer and layup. Westwood quickly countered with a basket by Grace McCluskey ‘26. After more back-and-forth shots, Lee drew a foul, making a free throw. Less than a minute later, she was fouled again. Lee would go on to make six more free throws.

“[My strategy is to] practice, practice, practice, and always have a routine,” Lee said.

Halftime ended with Vista Ridge leading by 28 points at 44-16. Westwood fought back with several two-pointers, with Lee driving down the court for a layup and Ava Sartor ‘25 passing past the defense to McCluskey, who scored another basket. The third quarter ended with a shot by Theresa Bell ‘26 in the last few seconds.

“At the beginning of the season, it was pretty obvious that none of us had played together, all of us were clashing,” Lee said. “But I think now it’s a lot smoother and we know each other, we know what we’re good at, we know what we’re bad at and that works for us as a team.”

In the fourth quarter, the team continued pushing, with Jackson Bowen ‘26 driving to the basket, successfully making the shot despite getting fouled. Bowen made the following free throw as well, adding three points to the scoreboard. Once again, the quarter ended with a Westwood layup in the final seconds, this time by Lee, but the effort was not enough to come back against Vista Ridge.

“Before the next game, I definitely want to keep working on my ball handling, and just have more practice with the team,” Lee said.

The Warriors will have their next game on Tuesday, Jan. 10, against McNeil at 5:30 P.M. at Westwood.