Girls’ basketball works harder than ever in higher league

Visit the gym on a weekday afternoon and you’ll see the girls’ varsity basketball team in action.

“Break! Break,” yells junior point-guard Nicole Prowse as she dribbles up the court. The whole gym echoes as all the players on and off court echo the play name.

Each is a code name for a play drawn up by coach Mike Davey. Davey’s playbook is deep because of the talented and smart roster he has this year.

The team has been practicing harder than ever to compete in the highly competitive De Anza league. Despite the variety of plays taught, the girls have been  able to remember each one, adding to their offensive firepower. Leading scorers include senior post Mikayla Davis and senior guards Samie Davey and Sara Parden.

“[Davis] is an essential player,” said Parden. “She is a great [co]-captain and example of how to work hard and give 100 percent.”

After finishing pre-season with a 10-2 record and winning the Monta Vista tournament in December, the Falcons have  high hopes of dominating league and going deep in CCS.

The team opened up to its first league game with a 48-38 victory against Los Altos on Jan. 9. The Falcons were able to get over their nervousness and win.

“As a [co]-captain, [I] want to create a positive environment and make everyone feel comfortable and confident,” said Samie Davey. “Our chemistry on and off court contributes to our overall hard work on the court together. I think our team definitely has a lot of potential to show during our games.”

On Jan. 14, the girls went head to head with a talented Palo Alto Viking squad but fell short 57-44. Keeping their heads up, the Falcons took on Mountain View in their second home game, but also lost, this time with a score of 45-38.

“The last two games were a really good learning experience for our team,” Parden said. “Hopefully we can learn from what happened during the games and win in the really close games.”

The Falcons played against rival Los Gatos on Jan. 21. The score was close throughout the entire game, and the Falcons held the lead for the first three quarters of the game. However, in the fourth quarter, Los Gatos rallied and won with a score 45-42.

“Although we lost, I think we played with all of our effort,” Parden said. “It was definitely a fun and exciting game and I know that as a team, we’ll get better as we play more games.”