Continuing a string of losses on Friday Nov. 22, the Varsity Lady Warrior Basketball team was defeated by the San Marcos Rattlers 40-34. Despite their persistence and motivation from their fans and the Westwood cheer team, the  Lady Warriors faced a close loss. A notable second half from the Warriors, scoring 23 total points compared to the Rattlers, who scored 13, was unfortunately not enough to recover from a shaky first half.

Following the game’s start, San Marcos got the ball at the tip off, pushing past the Warriors’ defense to score the first point of the game in their first possession. The Warriors followed, as Vivian Hapka ‘26 picked a rebound and made the basket, bringing the score to 2-3. However, the Warrior defense began their rough half , while the Rattler’s defense improved, forcing multiple steals. Despite Isabella D’Alessandro’s ‘25 drives down the court, San Marcos found the opportunity made by a lack of defense to drive up their point. With 12-7, San Marcos, on the board and two minutes left in the first quarter, the Lady Warriors briefly pushed through the San Marcos’ tough defense bringing them up to 9. However, ultimately the Warriors couldn’t keep up, ending the first quarter 18-9.

“I think we struggled with not attacking enough,” Co-Captain Theresa Bell ‘26 said. “We would be kind of scared and then crush a little bit when we needed to stay calm under pressure.”

Unfortunately, the problems that gave San Marcos double the Warriors’ score only continued in the second quarter. Even despite early points by Claire Lee ‘26, with a multitude of fouls, the Warriors gave the Rattlers a slew of free-throws. This pattern continued as Westwood could not keep a hold on the ball, stopping the Warriors from scoring. In the last 30 seconds however, the Lady Warriors were able to turn over the ball twice but weren’t able to score on either occasion, which ended the first half 27-11 with San Marcos well in the lead.

“We didn’t really show up in the first half,” Assistant Coach Lenea Meyers said. “We just didn’t shoot the ball as much as we should have been. We didn’t score a lot in the first half, so we kind of dug ourselves into a hole and had a hard time getting out of it.”

Westwood came out of halftime motivated to close the 16 point gap in the score. While the Rattlers scored with an early basket, the Warriors were able to improve their defense and hold the Rattlers at bay. Taking advantage of a hole in the Rattlers’ guard, Lee drove through the paint and scored. Lee, a prominent part of Westwood’s improved performance in the second half, made sure she was open for passes often, allowing her to drive the ball through the defense, beginning the Warriors offensive streak.

“I think it’s kind of an adrenaline rush [when you score a lot of points],” Lee said. “You hear the crowd, but you’re kind of just focused on getting it back on defense and getting the next position, especially when we’re down in that situation.”

The Warriors’ improved hustle only continued in the third quarter as the Warriors began to utilize their rebounds and free throws to continue climbing to victory. With 30 seconds left in the quarter, Hapka scored and the fire of the Westwood parents erupted in cheers, ending the third quarter 31-21 with the Rattlers still in the lead.

“I think our biggest strength is our grit,” Lee said. “We never quit on any game we’re playing, even if we’re down, even if we’re struggling, we always find a way to help each other climb back and try and make a win.”

In the last quarter of the game, the air on the court was intense as both teams made their bid for the win as their defenses re-energized. After a foul in the paint, Lee made both free throws; however, the Warriors matched San Marcos foul for foul as the Rattlers paralleled the Warriors’ points, bringing the score 33-23. Soon, with four minutes left in the game, neither team had increased their score, as they continued to foul, and miss shots. Breaking the trend, Lee again popped in a layup while the Warriors continued their improved defense and kept their motivation and persistence high. 

“Really, [during halftime the goal is] kind of just getting them relaxed and saying, ‘Look, we’re fine. We just [have] to apply some pressure defensively, get in some steals, take care of the ball, and go make some layups.’ And we did a good job of that,” Coach Meyers said. “I think it was really just getting them to pressure them defensively a little bit more.”

With less than a minute left in the game, Co-Captain Caroline Dougherty ‘25 was fouled and made both free throws, bringing the score to 35-28 with the Warriors in striking distance. San Marcos called a timeout with only 42 seconds left on the clock and with parents and supporters on both sides of the court intently watching. Fouling right out of the timeout the Warriors, again, gave the Rattlers another two free throws, which they promptly missed. Taking advantage of the rebound right after, Lee drove the ball through the key with only 27 seconds left in the game and scored, sending the Warriors’ supporters, cheerleaders, and fellow team members into an explosion of shouts and joy. 

However, despite the Lady Warriors’ offensive success, they continued to foul, allowing the Rattlers to continue to score. In the last 10 seconds, with all her hustle, Lee scored and was given a foul, draining both free throws, she ended the game 40-34 with San Marcos in the lead.

“In our next game, I think we need to improve on relaxing a little bit more, staying confident with each other and in ourselves, and we will come out with a better result,” Bell said.

The Lady Warriors will next travel to McNeil High School to play the McNeil Mavericks on Tuesday, Nov. 26, at 1 p.m. for their second district game of the season.