The varsity girls basketball team’s preseason featured a five-game win streak, just broken by a 47–54 loss to Homestead on Thursday, Dec. 11. Their almost-undefeated preseason is a first step to their goal of making the CCS playoffs this season, after a lackluster 7–17 record and fifth-place league finish last year.
“I really want to make it to CCS and then all the way to States,” freshman Taylor Ware said. “I’d love to prove to people that public schools can perform just as well as private schools.”
“This year we have some really skilled players and a deeper bench,” head coach Brittany Taylor said. “The energy has been great and we’ve been building a lot on our successes so far.”
But this lineup looks a little different from last year’s, featuring three freshmen — Taylor Ware, Sahara Kaci and Isha Peruri — a rare occurrence on the varsity squad. Brittany Taylor said the rookies have already taken up valuable roles, even reaching the levels of senior players.
“Our younger players are the ones to look out for,” Brittany Taylor said. “Taylor Ware has been matching the skill level of senior captain Ella McFarlane consistently the last few games, while Isha and sophomore Chloe D’Amico have been making an impact on our games in points and rebounding.”
But it’s not just Brittany Taylor noticing — junior Chloe Caldbeck also said she believes the freshmen stand out on the team.
“In our first few games, they’ve really been able to play up,” Chloe said. “The freshmen are showing that they belong on varsity.”
Leading up to her first season at Los Altos, Taylor Ware has already been playing basketball for the past four years, building up the experience and skill necessary to compete alongside players four years older than her.
“Freshman players usually aren’t on varsity teams,” Taylor Ware said. “It’s a lot of pressure but I can handle it.”
For Isha, her nearly decade-long basketball career helped her make the varsity team. Despite the natural pressure that comes from being a freshman on varsity, Isha feels the season so far has been more fun than stressful.
“There’s not a lot of pressure to be the star player on this team, because there’s so many other good players in the lineup,” Isha said.
The team hopes that this roster change will help them improve this season, and set themselves up for success in the years to come.
Isha highlights the supportive, cohesive community on the team as a large factor for the team’s jump in performance this year.
“Everyone on the team is really supportive and willing to help you out,” Isha said. “If you have a question, you can just ask.”
Stribling echoes a similar sentiment.
“The season has been fun and exciting so far,” Stribling said. “It’s nerve-wracking at times, but we’ve managed to find ways to pull through the chaos.”
The team will play Burlingame High School next at home at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 13.
