As seen in the Feb. 21 print edition
Brenda Mehdian, staff writer
The girls varsity basketball team was unable defeat Culver City on Thursday, Feb. 13, but still earned a place in the CIF playoffs.
This senior-night game for the basketball program brought extra meaning for the seniors of the team. Although the seniors started the game with confidence, they were unable to finish the first quarter off strong, as the only senior who scored in the quarter was Natasha Kashani.
“We were slipping on our assignments and weren’t hitting many shots. Although we were down by a lot, we were still hopeful that the game could turn around,” Kashani said.
The Normans couldn’t shake off Culver’s lead in second quarter, ending the half down by 21.
The game concluded with a final score of 63-18, in Culver’s favor. According to starting point guard Jessica Melamed, this was “one of the team’s worst games.”
“None of the regular starters were playing during the second half because Coach Braddell did not want us to be injured for playoffs. The game against Culver did not determine anything. We are capable of performing at a much higher level than what we put on display,” Melamed said.
Despite the loss, the girls were able to snag third place in Ocean League. Although they lost twice to both Inglewood and Culver City and once to Hawthorne, the victories over Samo at home and on their court were key in their advance into CIF.
According to Melamed, the team is working harder than ever to ensure that they are prepared for their first CIF game on Saturday, Feb. 22, at 7:00 p.m., an away contest against Torrance.