On Friday, Jan. 19, Lowell’s boys’ and girls’ basketball teams dominated the Washington Eagles in the annual Battle of the Birds games at Kezar Pavilion. The boys’ and girls’ JV teams took to the court first, receiving scores of 41-32 and 43-20, respectively. Following their wins, the boys’ and girls’ varsity teams concluded the night with a clean sweep victory.
The boys’ varsity team took home the third win with a score of 44-40, continuing the boys’ team’s Battle of the Birds winning streak of six years. Player and senior Won Kim believes that their performance proved the team’s ability to succeed despite earlier struggles to adapt to this year’s roster change. “We didn’t play last year, so there’s not a lot of returning players, and we also got a lot of sophomores on our team,” Kim said. “One thing we’ve been working out is learning how to work together and learning how to balance our inexperience with the experience of the seniors.” Player and senior Jude Moreno agreed. “Learning to be leaders on and off the court, having a different dynamic, and getting that chemistry up has been difficult,” he said. “We have a tough opponent on Tuesday — Lincoln — but many people stepped up and showed they can make some big plays in crucial moments during this game.”
Soon after the boys’ varsity team victory, the girls’ varsity team ultimately led the night with a 43-30 game score. Like the boys’ team, Lowell’s girls’ varsity team also struggled with having a different set of players this year, according to player and senior Mackenzie Luk. She recalls the challenges of creating bonds between teammates but says they’ve improved since the start of the season. “I think [this game] gives us a little bit more confidence and showed us what we could do as a team if we always played like that,” Luk said.
Lowell’s basketball teams will play their next game on Tuesday, Jan. 23, with the boys’ teams competing against Lincoln High School and the girls’ teams against Saint Anthony Immaculate Conception Catholic School.
