Despite missing 3 players and playing 4 games in a row, the Galileo Girls’ Varsity Basketball team still played solid basketball and took 3rd place in Gateway High School’s basketball tournament December 12th-14th.
Trouble started for the Lioness on Wednesday night when the team played a tough matchup against San Mateo High School. Although they put in a strong effort, the team fell short, losing by 14 points. “One of our players got injured during pregame warmups, and so we went from 7 players to 6,” shooting guard Mia F. said.
Even though the Lioness were shorthanded, they were confident they could start the Gateway Tournament against the Academy Wolves. However, the score was tied at 5-5 in the first quarter and the Lioness only had a 4-point lead heading into halftime due to a lack of defensive rebounding. But, a powerful team performance in the second half secured a 37-17 win for Galileo. Senior Shuhuan Y. who scored 16 points, including three 3-pointers,” said, “At halftime, I was frustrated because we had too many turnovers and people weren’t cutting to the ball. Because we were missing so many people, I had to step up and lead the team.”
Friday night brought the Lioness face-to-face with Urban High School, with a chance to go to the championship game. Galileo started strong, leading by 12 points at halftime, but the Lioness went cold and couldn’t score in the 2nd half, and Urban slowly crept back in the end, eventually earning a win over the Lioness 38-34. “They beat us because we couldn’t break their press, our shots weren’t falling and theirs were, but ultimately, we ran outta gas,” mentioned Mia F.
Saturday afternoon marked the final game of the tournament, with Galileo facing Burton High School for 3rd place. Despite feeling tired and burnt out from three previous games, the Lioness delivered a 51-30 victory over the Burton Pumas. “Everyone was exhausted, but we communicated well and worked together as a team,” guard Betsy D. said.
Looking ahead, the team will face Urban once again on Thursday, Dec 19th at Urban High School and South San Francisco on Friday Dec 20th at home.
