The freshman orange basketball team faced off against the Vandegrift Vipers on Tuesday, Jan. 7. The Warriors took a quick lead, but ultimately lost the match 54-45. The game was consistently slow paced and the score remained close throughout the match.

With a slow start, the Vipers took the tip-off. After a few calculated possessions, Bryan Li ‘28 took the ball and ran it down the court, giving the Warriors a 9-5 lead. Unfortunately the Vipers soon found their groove and maintained a two bucket lead all throughout the second quarter, setting it 25-21 coming out of the half.

“It was really challenging, they were really good,” Avery Hilton ‘28 said. “We went into the game knowing that they were gonna be a good team.”

The crowd grew restless as the referees called increasingly more fouls, taking away the short time the Warriors had to catch up. With these frequent pauses both teams found it difficult to put points on the board, but two free throws from Isaac Richie ‘28 roused the Warriors’ efforts. However, with a few swift blows by the Vipers, the Warriors’ hopes fell low in the fourth quarter, soon ending the game in a disappointing loss, with the Vipers leading 54-45. 

“[The game] showed us where our weaknesses are and where we can fix [them],” said Hilton.

The Warriors will take the court again at Vista Ridge on Friday, Jan. 10, against the Vista Ridge Rangers.