The girls basketball team defeated Notre Dame Academy High School 65-15 in their league opener on the road Jan. 7, bringing their overall record to 12-6. 

The squad played two tournaments over winter break, the Sandra Meadows Classic in Texas from Dec. 26 to Dec. 28 and the Desert Heat Classic in Palm Desert from Jan. 2 to Jan. 4. In the Sandra Meadows Classic, the girls finished with a 2-2 record, with both their loses being by less than three points.

The team managed to win the Desert Heat Classic, defeating Culver City High School 69-35 in the championship game Jan. 4. Forward Kiki Iriafen ’21 and guard Melissa Zozulenko ’21 were named to the All-tournament team. The win marked their second tournament championship of the season.

The girls started quickly in the game against the Gryphons and found themselves up 25-5 at the end of the first quarter. The squad continued their offensive performance, scoring 30 points in the second quarter and finding themselves up 56-12 at the end of the half. The team maintained their lead in the second half, defeating Notre Dame Academy 65-15, bringing their league record to 1-0. Iriafen described the defensive keys to the win. 

“Defensively, we did a good job of trapping the ball and rotating to help side,” Iriafen said. “We still have more work to do but last night game was a step in the right direction.”

The squad plays their next game on the road against Mater Dei High School Jan. 11.