The girls basketball season officially began on November 7, with a game against Fowler High School. The team would be victorious in their opening match as well as in their following games.
On November 21, the girls basketball team experienced their first loss of the season against Madera South High School. Senior Chantel Rodriguez explained that it was a “close game,” but despite the effort, Selma lost 53-49.
The Selma girls’ basketball team started the game strong with both offense and defense being very powerful. The efforts from both Selma and Madera were reflecting on the scoreboard, however Selma would win the first quarter. Although Selma was initially dominating the court, in the second half Selma’s communication faltered, lowering their magnitude and causing Fowler to score four more points.
“I think the challenge we had was our lack of communication that caused us to foul, giving the other team free points,” Rodriguez elaborated. “We just didn’t come with [as] much intensity as the other team did.”
Due to the fouls committed by Selma, multiple players were taken out of the court. The fouls sent Madera’s team to the free throw line and led to the accumulation of points for Madera.
The girls basketball coach, Coach Alvarez, commented that during practice her main focus is details in order to enhance their performance on the court.
“We try to hone in on the little things,” Coach Alvarez stated.
Coach Alverez’s goal is to defensively “make it very uncomfortable for the [opposing] players and getting on every loose ball,” Coach Alvarez continued, “offensively trying to execute every play and understand our pace.”
Sophomore Emma Dominguez stated that losing a game challenges her, nonetheless, it makes her strive for improvement.
“It impacts me pretty heavily. I would say that it’s because my team works very well with each other so I know we’re capable of winning games,” Dominguez expressed.
Emma Dominguez, who has been playing ever since she was five years old, believes that playing in the varsity team since freshman year has invigorated many areas such as her discipline.
“It definitely has strengthened my self-discipline and perseverance because of how difficult basketball can be sometimes,” Dominguez said.
Chantel Rodriguez, like Dominguez, is a persistent player who considers that there is always room for improvement.
“If you don’t know where you need to improve, that causes you to plateau,” Rodriguez explained. Rodriguez added that with the feedback from Coach Alvarez, the team is able to understand in what areas they need to improve on.
“That causes us to put in extra time to keep improving for the next games,” Chantel Rodriguez expanded.
The Selma High’s girls Basketball team aspires for a successful season as a result of their determination and hard work.
