On Thursday, February 19th, LHS Girls Basketball competed in their final home game of the season against Dakota Ridge High School. The game was a nail-biter, with many lead changes throughout the game. The game went down to the wire, but the Lady Lions ultimately fell to the Eagles, 37-38.
Before the game, the seniors on the basketball team were recognized for Senior Night. Three seniors on the team were honored for their accomplishments during their time on the team: Emma Bird, Lena Drakos, and Erica Levene. They were each escorted down the court by some of their teammates, while their career highlights and future plans were being read over the loudspeaker. They then met up with their parents under a balloon arch for photos.
Drakos has been on the team all four years and has been a varsity member for three of those years. She leads the team in three-pointers this season.
When asked about what she will miss the most about the team, Drakos said, “I will definitely miss catching up with all of my teammates everyday during warm-ups, and all of our inside jokes we’ve made over the years.”
Levene is a four year varsity player, and leads the team in overall defense this season.
“My favorite part of the team is how strong our community is. We are like a family both on and off the court, and are constantly are helping each other grow,” said Levene, when asked what her favorite part of the team is.
At halftime, Poms seniors Carolina Mendieta Avina, Xiomara Garcia, and Dayana Lopez Lopez were recognized for Poms Senior Night. The girls were escorted by their parents, as their accomplishments and future plans were read. After the senior recognition, all of the Poms performed one of their routines, which was amazing and showcased their talent!
During the game, the team had amazing performances with great defense from sophomore Josie Wallrath, who had a notable steal and fast break that resulted in her scoring a basket, along with Levene making a couple of steals.
On top of this, Bird had a 17 point and 16 rebound double-double, and attempted 17 free throws. She made 7 of these free throws after being fouled hard throughout the game, and had to battle being mocked by the Dakota Ridge fans while on the line. Bird, a varsity member for the last two years, is third in the state for double-doubles.
The team made an impressive showing at this game, but fell short after a questionable call made by the refs that allowed the Eagles to take the lead with five seconds left in the game.
“The team has played with perseverance, and the shared desire to win with controlled aggression and good sportsmanship,” said Drakos, when asked about how the team played.
All of this was shown as they played in this game, with every dribble and every pass, and their teamwork was amazing to watch. And this has seemed to be the case for the entire season.
Levene added, “I’m so impressed with how much success we’ve had as an extremely young team. It’s difficult to play basketball at a high level, and all of our players have stepped up to the challenge!”
