The junior varsity girls basketball team won its first home game of the season with a 60-23 victory over Scotts Valley on Dec. 2.
The Trojans opened the first minute shooting a quick two-point shot, however Scott Valley was not far behind. By the end of the first quarter Milpitas was leading 14-8 after Scotts Valley committed four fouls.
Milpitas continued to build momentum in the second quarter, entering halftime with a score of 28-14. Trojans extended their lead to 54-16 by the third quarter and closed the game with a score of 60-3.
There has been noticeable improvement in the team’s chemistry throughout the games they have played, sophomore and team captain Allie Lepeotio said.
“I feel like that chemistry in the game really showed us improving because we were able to look out for our teammates as well as ourselves,”Lepeotio said.
The proudest moment of the game was watching the team’s ball movement improve, Lepeotio said.
“We were stealing the ball, passing, and assisting each other,” Lepeotio said.
The goal before the game was to energize the team and keep morale high, another sophomore team captain Nimrod Dhaliwal said.
“I just did my regular routine and hyped up the team,” Dhaliwal said.
The team aimed to stay aggressive regardless of the score, Dhaliwal said .
“You always think of it as 0-0. You don’t want to say I am going to slow it down. You always want to play at your own pace,” Dhaliwal said.
Team chemistry has been one of the group’s biggest strengths this year, Dhaliwal added.
“We are a really energetic team,” Dhaliwal said. “We feel like we are all a family.”
Head coach Chelsea Jaculina said she was proud of the team’s performance.
“We’re a pretty young team, and seeing them put in all their hard work was really joyful to watch,” Jaculina said.
The team has shown steady improvement since tryouts in early November, Jaculina said.
“From ball movement to low post moves to sharing the ball, we’ve definitely seen improvements,” Jaclina said.
For fouls, it is always important to stay calm, Jaculina said.
“We are always big on body language, Jaculina said. “ It is not about the mistake. It is about how you bounce back,” Jaculina added.
The goal for the season is consistent growth, Jaculina said.
“I want them to get 1 percent better each game so that by the time they reach varsity, they will have the confidence to play on the court at the varsity level,” Jaculina said.
