On Tuesday, Jan. 13, freshman girls’ basketball defeated Vandegrift Vipers 22-20. The teams fought intensely for the win, with the Warriors battling for the lead in each quarter. Despite Vandegrift’s strong strategy, the Warriors ensured their success against the Vipers. 

The Warriors gained control of the ball instantly heading into the first quarter. Shortly after that, the Vipers got a steal and scored the first basket to open the game. Both teams went back and forth on the court in attempts to score, until Violet Everard ‘29 was brought to the line for two free throws where she proved successful, earning two more points for Westwood. Keeping up with the momentum, Aubrey Rose Lawrence ‘29 scored a layup, which was followed by a fierce fight for possession of the ball. The first quarter ended in a 4-4 tie. 

“They put a lot of pressure on us and made us work really hard,” Ava Punalekar ‘29 said. “But overall we came up with a lot of energy.”

The second quarter held the same intensity as the first, each team making several shots right from the start. After Punalekar made two free throws, Vandegrift gained possession of the ball, trailing behind Warriors by one point with the score being 7-6. This was followed by Lawrence scoring a layup with less than four minutes remaining. After both the Warriors and Vipers launched several free throws, the Vipers scored a basket in the last 30 seconds, ending the half 11-8, and losing ground by three points. 

“I think we started off a little rough, but we pulled it together,” Elise Webb ‘29 said. “It was a really hard game, for sure.” 

Back from halftime, the Warriors took the lead and scored the first points of the third quarter. Even with the Warriors’ strong defence, the Vipers were able to break through and gain possession of the ball. Both teams played neck-and-neck, with the Warriors leading all possessions. With less than three minutes remaining, Vandegrift scored both a layup and two free throws, leveling the score 13-13. After several possession changes and free throw opportunities, the quarter ended with the Warriors leading by one at  15-14.

“As a team, I feel like we need to work on passing, getting open, and meeting the ball,” Punalekar said. “I normally go up really strong with the ball, but this time they were putting a lot of pressure on me. It was definitely scaring me a bit.” 

Entering the fourth quarter, the Warriors came out swinging as they continued their offensive streak. Nevertheless, the Vipers still stood strong with their defence, soon taking over the ball again. With five minutes left in the game, Westwood was four points ahead at 19-15. However, Vandegrift caught up in the next two minutes by earning five more points, overtaking Westwood 20-19. Despite the Vipers locking down on defence, Punalekar pushed through to make a layup for the Warriors. After Webb scored a free throw, to end the game, 22-20. 

“The second half might have gotten hard just because the score gap closed a little,” Webb said. “It was a tighter game, but I think we started playing better too.”

The freshman girls’ basketball will play their next game on Friday, Jan. 16, against Vista Ridge.