Girls basketball comes up short against Temecula Valley

Summer Do

Waiting with patience | Point guard sophomore Jada Jao dribbles the ball while waiting for her teammates to set up for a play.

Varsity girls basketball lost to Temecula Valley High School 47-53 on Dec. 3 at home.

To begin the game,  the  Golden Bears’ defensive prowess and superior shot selection created a substantial lead over the Mustangs, who quickly trailed 7-24 in the first quarter. In the second quarter, Walnut upped their defensive physicality, but costly turnovers and a lack of offensive rebounding prevented them from getting their offense going, resulting in an 11-33 deficit for the Mustangs. 

However, after a spark of three point baskets and free throws from contested drives into the paint, the Mustangs cut the lead to 30-43 in the third quarter. Ultimately, Temecula Valley’s defense and clutch late fourth quarter three point daggers stifled the Mustangs’ comeback that fell short with a final score of 47-53.

“The first half we just came out slow and we were cold shooting. We were running our stuff, but we just weren’t making shots and we had a few turnovers. [In the future], we need to improve on how we start games,” varsity girls basketball head coach Michael James said. “Our effort was good though, and it would have been easy to quit when [the score] was 7-24,  but our kids didn’t quit. They battled back.” Ω