On Tuesday, Dec. 5, Freshman women’s basketball took on Manor High School in a tough battle that concluded with a well-earned win 37-17.

The first quarter started with the Warriors losing the tip-off, and although the first points went to the Mustangs the Warriors did not lose their high spirits as they kept up their strong assists. Maya Alas ’27 brought her best, playing tight defense which helped the Warriors and uplifted their confidence to kick off the first quarter. Livia Xu ’27 had a key steal that led to a pass, and a shot by Navy Saride ’27 where she was fouled, and had the opportunity for a three-point-play and a chance for the Warriors to take the lead. The game was neck-and-neck leading to a time out called by the Warriors with only four seconds left on the clock. The Warriors ended the quarter down by one, but determined to make a comeback down 6-5.

“For me [something I want to work on] is definitely my leadership skills [since I am a] point guard, and I am five foot so you can’t really put me any other places on the court,” Alas said.

Coming out of a huddle, the Warriors kept their heads held high as they walked back onto the court. The Warriors put the first points of the new quarter on the scoreboard with a clean basket. Following the bucket, the ball was carried down by Manor to the opposing end where it was soon stolen by Chloe Hall ‘27 and swiftly ran back down for another chance at an offensive play. The Warriors had multiple shot opportunities making both a two point shot and a three-point-shot to end off on a high note. The Warriors ended the first half up with a score of 13-10.

The Warriors started the third quarter with high spirits, improved communication skills, two quick two-point-plays, and well-placed assists. Pacing the ball upcourt to Hall for a layup, Alas was key in the offensive setup. Westwoods defense held Manor to 10 points for most of the quarter while the Warriors continued to extend their lead. The Warriors finished the third quarter up by 10 with a score of 23-13.

[The highlight of the game for me was] working as a team, passing the ball, and assists,” Hall said.

The Warriors came back to the court filled with energy from their prior performance in the previous quarter. In the fourth quarter Westwood started with multiple shot opportunities leading to scoring. Alas, Rebekah Haula ’27, and Hall all made key two-point-plays to help their team. Not only were the shots improved, and more consistent but the transitions were cleaned up with many upcourt passes and clean offensive plays. To end the game with 7 seconds left on the clock, Gayathri Anil Kumar ’27 made a clean two point shot. The Warriors left the quarter proudly after their victory 37-17.

“My favorite part of the game was whenever Maya first scored a 3 [pointer] because I knew she was excited about it,” Haula said.

The Warriors will be back at the court on Dec. 19 against the Cedar Ridge Raiders.