Varsity girls basketball lost to Los Altos High School 35-40 on Thursday, Feb. 1, finishing the season with a league record of 7-3, guaranteeing a spot in the CIF-SS playoffs.

The game began with a transitional layup by Los Altos to gain the early lead. Through the opposing team’s full-court defense and ability to contest shots, the Mustangs experienced multiple empty possessions on the offensive end. Off a series of turnovers and open shots by Los Altos, the first quarter concluded 6-13.

“We kind of had a slow first quarter and we could have come out with more energy and explosiveness. That energy would have allowed us to score more, better our playmaking and play stronger defense,” point guard senior Katelyn Lu said. “It was a bit frustrating because we weren’t really scoring, but we were trying to come out with better energy for the rest of the three quarters.”

In the second quarter, Los Altos went on a scoring drought, allowing the Mustangs to get back into the game. Walnut collectively played much more aggressive defense and utilized their physicality to get open looks around the basket. With only three points by the opposing team, Walnut tied at 16-16.

“When we were down, we went on a little run to cut the lead. We brought the energy and played good defense and good offense,” small forward sophomore Madison Shih said. “Our momentum throughout the quarter got us back into the game, so that we could tie it. All the transition layups were important for us to go from offense to defense.”

Heading into the third quarter, the Mustangs shot poorly from behind the arc. Los Altos was able to effectively swing the ball and leveraged their ball movement to counter defensive efforts. At the end of the quarter, the Mustangs found themselves trailing 25-29.

“My favorite part of the game was the third quarter because we had much more energy after halftime. Even though we lacked scoring, the team chemistry was the best,” Lu said. “Los Altos moved the ball really well, and it got them open shots.”

The Mustangs went on to drive into the basket and attack the paint to cut it down to a four point deficit with a minute left. Despite Walnut’s efforts, Los Altos was able to fend off Walnut with clutch free throws. The game concluded with a missed three-point attempt by Walnut, ending the game 35-40.

“I’m proud that we put in a lot of effort knowing that it was going to be some of our last games,” center senior Maileeh Suasti said. “In the fourth, our team just fell apart and we committed a lot of turnovers. We got too comfortable and let the environment mess us up. That’s what made us go down at the end.”