By Ophir Cohen-Simayof

Originally published on February 16, 2015

Battle of the Birds on Jan. 16

The girls’ varsity basketball team is on a roll. Here’s footage from team’s 60–47 defeat of the Washington Eagles on Jan. 16 in the Battle of the Birds.

However, this was not the only successful win for the Cardinals in January.

How the Cardinals blew out Gal on Jan. 30

The varsity girls’ basketball decimated the Galileo Lions 60–19 on Jan. 30. However, by the first quarter, the team suspected that they were going to win, so they used their time on the court to try out new strategies and refine their skills for bigger games, according to varsity head coach Aki Kuwada.

The Cardinals started the first quarter strong, scoring their first basket within 30 seconds. Senior point guard Allyson Lui scored the the majority of the points — 10 in total. While Lui led the team offensively, junior front-center Francesca Baldwin guided the team’s defensive line, stealing the ball over five times.

“It was really great to see all of us pushing each other and getting each other psyched up to play hard, and for us to win the game as a team.”

Though some girls from the first string remained, the second quarter involved substituting girls around every two minutes. However, the Cardinals maintained the same level of high intensity no matter who was on the court. The Lions were limited to scoring one free-throw at the end of the quarter. With junior guard Tiffany Lowe leading the team with four baskets, the Cardinals were up 37–6 at halftime. “When we take the first team out and let the second team go in, we do not want to see that continuity drop in ability,” Kuwada said. “From offense to defense, from defense to offense, the continuity was wonderful. Everybody we brought into the game was excellent.”

The Cardinals continued to use their technique of substitution throughout the third quarter. Both Baldwin and junior forward Riki Eijima each scored six points. All players stayed focused and sharp, restricting the Lions to five shots and ending the quarter at 50–16.

In the fourth quarter, junior guard Brandi Wong scored a total of eight points, six of which were from three-pointers. “Everybody was involved in the game,” Lui said.