By Avrena Ghatas
This Tuesday, seniors’ special night started by recognizing seniors and listening to their thank you notes; followed by capturing photos of seniors with their families and coach. The night was special because varsity head coach Marianne Karp was tearing up as she was recognizing senior Vanessa Luong, who was not able to play all season because of her injury.
After celebrating seniors for both teams, the Lady Barons’ last home game started with all seniors playing against the Oilers. Although the game was very close until the end, the Lady Barons fell behind after several fouls called near the end of the game making the final score 44-52 for the Oilers.
The first tip off of the game was in the favor of the Huntington Beach Oilers. After back and forth attempts to score, the Oilers score a two-pointer followed by another one. This was quickly reciprocated by junior Margaret Tengan’s first three-pointer of the game. After some missed shots by the Barons, Tengan scored a two-pointer in the last 15 seconds of the first quarter making the score 11-10 for the Barons.
The second quarter witnessed strong defense from both teams. Junior Sarah Henry scored the first two-pointer of the second quarter. The Oilers bounced back with a three-pointer. With multiple shots from both teams, the score became 21-19 at halftime. Great blocks and rebounds were made by both teams in this quarter.
The first two minutes of the third quarter were filled with the competitive spirit of both teams and no change in the score. Shortly after senior Kristen Ho scored her first three-pointer of the game, the Huntington Beach Oilers stole the ball but failed to score. This was reciprocated by Tengan who stole the ball and scored a two-pointer. After multiple shots and fouls from both teams, the score became a tie of 27-27. The Oilers changed that by scoring three times in a row making the score 27-33. By the end of the third quarter, junior Audrey Tengan scored a three-pointer making the final score of the third quarter 30-33.
In the fourth and final quarter of the game, senior Cailtin Okawa started off by scoring a quick three-pointer that was followed by Henry’s two-pointer making the score 35-33 for the Barons. Although players usually get tired by the last quarter, the Lady Barons continued to fight and hussle for the ball. After many shots, steals, and attempts to score from both teams, the score came to a tie of 44-44.
With one minute and 30 seconds left, the Oilers scored a three-pointer holding the Barons back by three points. By the time there was 35 seconds left in the quarter, several fouls and timeouts were called to the point where the 35 seconds on the clock of the game turned into over three minutes and the Oilers gained a total of five points as a result of some free throws and shots. This led to the game ending with a score of 44-52 for the Huntington Beach Oilers. Although the game took an unexpected turn, both teams played closely similar to each other. What held the Barons back was missing several shots and free throws which was the Oilers’ strength.
Some shining players to be highlighted in this game were Henry who was constantly scoring, blocking and rebounding the ball; Margaret Tengan was essential in making great steals, blocks and scoring all game. Okawa made sure to keep possession of the ball whenever it was possible. Overall, the game showed the effort and hard work that both teams put in the court.
