Co-Captain Caroline Doughtery ’25 holds on to the ball. The Warriors fought back against McNeil’s defense, maintaining their communication throughout the game. “This [win] feels really good,” Head Coach Kelli Payton said. “It was big for us because we’re still in the playoff hunt, and so getting another win just puts us in a good position to hopefully extend our season.”

Guarding a McNeil opponent, the girls varsity basketball team keeps their opposing team from scoring. The Warriors beat the McNeil Mavericks 45-31. “[Winning] gives them a lot of confidence,” Head Coach Kelli Payton said. “We lost two games last week against two really good teams. And so I think this one is going to give them some confidence moving into the rest of district.”

Head Coach Kelli Payton talks to her team in a huddle before the game. The girls varsity basketball team won against McNeil High School, after losing the two previous games. “We played a great three quarters and then kind of fell asleep in the fourth quarter,” Coach Payton said, “so [I want to] remind them that the game’s not over until the buzzer goes off.”

The girls varsity basketball team cheers for Vivian Hapka ’26 as she runs out to the court. The communication and community between members of the team is crucial to their performance. “We just came into this game not looking at our win loss record,” Bella D’Alessandro ’25 said. “We know what we need to do.”

Guarding a McNeil player, Co-Captain Theresa Bell ’26 runs down the court. The Warriors have been working throughout the season on their defensive strategy. “[We’ve been] trying to improve our defense,” Head Coach Kelli Payton said, “we’ve been trying to play more aggressive and give the other team pressure. And slowly, we’re starting to do that, and it paid off tonight.”

Hadyn Espinoza ’26 guards a McNeil player. The Warriors held the Mavericks at bay for the entire game, leading in scores all four quarters. “I think one thing we struggled with last time we played [McNeil was that], even though we won, we kind of settled,” Bella D’Alessandro ’25 said. “But I feel like this game, we put our foot on the gas. And I’m super proud of our team. I think we’re the grittiest team in the district.”