The Santa Clara girls basketball team won their first game in the CCS tournament Tuesday, ending with a final score of 50-29 over the Pajaro Valley Grizzlies.

Throughout the game, the Bruins dominated, and had achieved a steady score of 23-9 by the first half.

That score wouldn’t have been possible if it hadn’t been for the team working together, according to junior Nancy Recinos.

“We have the best chemistry, and it works out there,” Recinos said.

Team member Devyn Snyder agreed. “We hustled, and our intensity was super high,” she said.

By the end of the game, the Bruins had achieved the victory needed to move on the next level of CCS, despite many fouls given and received.

Head coach Melodee Kiyota said that the girls “poured their hearts out” into the game and hopes to see that again in the second round.

The team deserved the win, Kiyota said. For Recinos and other team members, the final score was a pleasant surprise.

“Nobody believed in us,” Recinos said, “and now the underdogs are on the top.”

The girls basketball team will play their next CCS game on Thursday, Feb. 26, against Aragon High School.