This year, the SCHS girls basketball team had a stunning season, advancing into the third and final round of the CCS tournament, for the first time ever.

“We are extremely proud,” said senior point guard Samantha Rudd, the leading scorer of the team with an average of 14.5 points per game. She also leads the El Camino league in assists with an average of 4.5 assists per game.

The girls emerged from their pre-season with a 10-2 record, automatically qualifying them for the CCS rounds. During their league season, however, they managed a 4-8 record.

“We don’t like to talk about league season,” said guard Mickie Ferrer. “We just had to forget about it to do well in CCS.”

The girls placed second in the CCS competition after losing to Daly City’s WestmoorHigh School on March 1^st.

“The first quarter slipped away from us, but we almost caught up. By then it was too late,” said Ferrer.

Their greatest opponent during the league season was the Saratoga team, which had large and aggressive players. They recalled being the most proud and excited about their win against Branham during their second round of CCS, which they described as a team in a higher-ranked league.

The girls said that they could attribute their success to their work ethic, which was partly inspired by their coaches.

Senior shooting guard Stephanie Rudd said, “They pushed us really hard this year and we knew we were going to be very good.”

Despite their loss, coach Deedee Kiyota was proud of the team, “We felt sad that we lost” at CCS, Kiyota said.  “But the fact that we made it there gave us a good feeling.”

The team’s confidence coupled with their great bond made a substantial difference this year.

“Most of us are seniors, so we’ve learned to work together and complement each other’s skills on the court,” said Ferrer.