Concluding their non-league games with a record of 6-6, the girls’ basketball team proved they were ready for the league season when they opened with a 43-35 victory against Fremont on Jan. 5.

While this year’s team boasts many strong players, it still has to overcome the slight drawback of having younger, more inexperienced players.

“We have a lot of key players that are also young players,” said coach Mike Davey. “We’re trying to cut down on our mental mistakes and turn the ball over.”

With a 6-6 non-league score, the girls qualified for CCS, yet they are still looking to improve their skills and have a successful league start.

“We’re a big team,” said Davey. “We’re also a tall team. At times we play very hard, but at other times, we get off balance. As a young team, we’re trying to learn to get better.”

Despite these challenges, the girls know how to step up their game. Leading scorers include sophomore post Hannah Johnson and junior Shriya Nagpal, who is also a key defender. Senior post Amber Arroyo consistently shows great leadership out on the court.

“[Johnson] is an essential player to the team because she always plays aggressively,” sophomore point guard Kimberly Chou said. “She has potential to keep the game intense.”

The girls play in the Santa Clara Valley League, in the B level of the El Camino Division. Now playing teams at their level, the league season looks promising.

“We played on a fairly difficult non-league schedule, which will hopefully prepare us for league,” said Davey. “We’ve played a lot of A-level teams during our preseason games, so I hope we get better and do well in league when we play.”