The girls basketball team defeated Alemany High School at home 77-53 on Jan. 30, bringing their overall league record to 5-1. 

In their previous game against the Warriors, the squad managed to defeat the league opponent on the road 71-45 on Jan. 14. In their most recent game, the girls defeated Santa Barbara High School 47-29 on Jan. 25, bringing their overall record to 16-8 heading into the game. 

The Wolverines started quickly and found themselves up 26-11 at the end of the first quarter. However, the Warriors managed to outscore the squad in the second quarter by 3 points and finished the half down 40-28. Forward Kiki Iriafen ‘21 had 20 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks heading into the second half.

Mission League Girls’ Basketball: @HWgirlshoops leads @AlemanySports 40-28 at half. Iriafen has 20 pts for the Wolverines. The game is live on HWTV at: https://t.co/Tl49b4TT7L pic.twitter.com/YvbwUv4Snt

— Harvard-Westlake (@hwathletics) January 31, 2020

The team managed to maintain their lead in the third quarter and found themselves up 65-46, with guard Melissa Zozulenko ‘21 having 12 points heading into the final quarter. The girls outscored the Warriors by five points in the fourth quarter, winning the game 77-53. Iriafen finished with 29 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks, while Zozulenko finished with 14 points and guard Kimiko Katzaroff ‘21 finished with 13. Iriafen attributed the squad’s victory to their defensive performance. 

“Offensively I think we were good, but I think once our defense picked up we were great,” Iriafen said. “For the rest of the season, we are putting a huge emphasis on not just beating beating teams offensively, but through playing good defense.”

The squad’s next game is on the road against Chaminade High School Feb. 4.