LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. – Cheers, the squeaking of shoes and the beat of the basketball on the shiny floor echoed through the new gym at Los Alamitos High School as the girls varsity basketball team played in their first round of the California Interscholastic Federation playoffs on Thursday, Feb. 12. 

They played at home against Dos Pueblos High School from Goleta, and played a rigorous game against the team; they found themselves consistently trailing from the start of the game. 

During the first and second period, both teams scored multiple baskets as they ran up and down the court; the final score of the first half was 22 to 30, with Dos Pueblos in the lead. When the buzzer rang, both teams walked off the court to their designated locker rooms.

After the 15-minute timer went off, marking the end of half-time, the players ran back out, discussed their strategies and prepared in their positions. The crowd and players roared as shots were made and missed, and the pressure became more suffocating as the clock counted down. Though the Griffins almost caught up multiple times, Goleta won 53 to 43, bringing LAHS’s season to an emotional close. 

As the crowd filed out of the gym, Goleta celebrated while the LAHS girls made their way across the court. With arms around each other and tears in their eyes, the girls were more upset over this game being their last together than their actual loss. 

“I’m really sad about the seniors leaving and it being my last game with them,” Libby Lee, a freshman on the team, said. 

Despite the disappointing end to a well-played game, the LAHS girls basketball team still has a lot to be proud of this season. They worked hard with an 11-1 record during the regular season, allowing them to win the Sunset League division. 

“I’m proud that we got so far and fought until the end,” Lee said. 

All in all, the lady griffins basketball team had an amazing season that came to an impressive end, regardless of how far they made it in the CIF playoffs. The team should feel triumphant over their season as a whole after representing LAHS in such a great way.

Gallery • 8 Photos

Giulietta Morad

The players ran up and down the court throughout the game.