By Jenny Tran
On Saturday, the girls’ basketball team took their fight against Anaheim High School to the courts. After an overall restless and heated game, they ultimately suffered a loss with a final score of 60-80.
Some key players include seniors Audrey and Margaret Tengan who brought in a large number of points for the Barons. Junior Mary Nguyen, senior Sarah Henry and sophomore Audrey Chow also made significant moves, ranging from not only successful shots but quick steals and passes.
The first quarter quickly opened with the Colonists making a three-pointer twenty seconds in. About another twenty later, they persisted with another two-pointer.
Eventually, a mere moment later, senior Ashley Nguyen gave the Barons’ their first points of the quarter with a two-pointer. Anaheim then scored another two points but was subsequently followed by Audrey Tengan’s layup, making the score 4-7. At five minutes and 45 seconds left, Margaret Tengan gained a foul and successfully made her free throw.
As the quarter went on, the pace only quickened. A series of passes between Henry, Margaret Tengan, Audrey Tengan and Mary Nguyen allowed for Senior Hannah Walsh to slip in a two-pointer. The score evened at 7-7.
The rest of the quarter was defined by continuous scuffles, rebounds and close shots. Both teams seemed to score one after the other. Mary Nguyen also succeeded in a flawless fast break with 25 seconds left on the clock.
The first quarter ended 14-11.
With tensions high, the second quarter opened with the ball in Anaheim’s possession. The Colonists made a layup 24 seconds into the quarter, along with another two-pointer a few seconds later, putting them in the lead at 14-15.
The rapid back-and-forth momentum surged throughout this quarter as well, with both teams hurrying to gain the lead. Chow made a two-pointer and immediately after, a three-pointer with an assist from Mary Nguyen.
With about five minutes and 30 seconds left, Margaret Tengan made a two-pointer, only for Anaheim to follow suit with a two-pointer of their own. Right after, Mary Nguyen and Henry both made two-pointers alongside Audrey Tengan’s three-pointer. With all these shots occurring within almost a minute, the score was brought to 28-17.
Anaheim called a time-out with around four minutes remaining. For the rest of the quarter, notable shots were executed by senior Eileen Kim and Audrey Tengan, who scored three and four points, respectively. Audrey Tengan also made two free throws.
While the Barons came into the final minute with a considerable lead, Anaheim promptly made an impressive comeback. Scoring three times in a row—two two-pointers and a three-pointer—they snuck up behind and brought the score to 35-32.
With four seconds left, the Colonists made what would have been another three-pointer. But, the shot hadn’t counted because one of the referees had blown the whistle moments before the shot landed in the basket. This caused an uproar in the audience, especially from those supporting Anaheim’s team. Despite the numerous yells of foul play, the shot ended up not counting.
The second quarter ended 35-32 with the Barons just holding onto their lead.
A few seconds into the third quarter, Anaheim made a three-pointer, pushing them into the lead once again. They then rebounded and made another two-pointer.
Mary Nguyen eventually made a layup with six minutes and 10 seconds left. The other team quickly followed with a layup, then Audrey Tengan persisted with a two-pointer. Anaheim was then given a free throw after a foul from the Barons.
The score was unnervingly close at 40-40 and remained the same for the next few minutes of unsuccessful shots.
Finally, after another foul from the Barons, Anaheim made two free throws. The same happened vice versa—a foul was called on Anaheim and Margaret Tengan made two free throws.
The game continued to play on at an anxiously fast pace with neither team giving up the fight. The final two minutes had successful shots from Henry, Margaret Tengan and Walsh.
The third quarter ended 49-48.
Heading into the final quarter, Anaheim managed to grab the momentum by making the first shot of the quarter with a three-pointer. After a few close shots for the Barons, they were forced back onto the defensive; Anaheim proceeded with a layup, bringing the score to 49-53.
At seven minutes and nine seconds, the Barons called a time-out. Nevertheless, Anaheim continued on their upward momentum and made several successful shots.
The Barons gave their best efforts this quarter making great steals and passes. Yet, the Colonists continued to dominate the rest of the quarter. Anaheim scored three-pointers and layups one after the other, widening the point margin and pushing them into the lead.
As the clock ticked down, several shots from Margaret Tengan and Chow helped the Barons keep up with the Colonists. With four minutes and 42 seconds remaining, the score stood at 50-66.
Though, the Colonists were strong on their free throws; they made seven in the last minute and 17 seconds. In the final 15 seconds, Anaheim snuck in a final layup, ending the game 60-80 in favor of Anaheim.
The girls’ next game will be against Newport Harbor High School in Fountain Valley High School’ gymnasium on Jan. 25th at 7 p.m.
