Going into the fourth quarter of their Dec. 5 matchup against the Western Sierra Collegiate Academy Wolves, the girls’ basketball team looked to close out the game, leading 39-35 halfway through the fourth quarter.
However, after leading the entire game, the Wolves finally clawed back to lead 43-32 with a minute left.
“We rushed in the fourth quarter and made some risky moves we didn’t need to,” sophomore Heidi Johnson said. Johnson finished with 18 points.
But on the Cavs’ next offensive possession, senior Yasmin Gupta turned the ball over, which forced fellow senior Annya Dahmani to foul and stop the clock.
Then the referees called an intentional foul on Dahmani, awarding the Wolves with two free throws and the ball.
“ I was trying to stop the clock, but I didn’t mean to get the (intentional foul),” Dahmani said. “(We) were in such a hurry to get rid of the ball.” Dahmani finished with 12 points.
The Wolves made only one free throw, allowing the Cavs to score off of a layup by Dahmani with 30 seconds left.
“I was just focusing on making my layups the whole game,” Dahmani said.
With the score tied at 44-44, the Wolves came down, swung the ball around to get an easy layup, and regained the lead 46-44.
With time running out, the Cavs tried to get one last shot but ultimately came up short, ending the game.
Despite the near win, coach Latonia Pitts thought the Cavs had an off night.
“We had 30 turnovers and were rushing for no reason,” Pitts said. “Shots that we usually hit weren’t falling for us.”
“We need to work on finishing the game and not play differently,” Johnson said. “I know I rushed a few passes that weren’t smart and led to (the Wolves) taking the lead. We also need to work on ball movement.”
Their next game is against the Natomas High School Nighthawks on Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. at Natomas High School.
—By Bryce Longoria
