Nov. 11 the girls Varsity basketball team went head to head with Foothill for the first game of the season, but ultimately faced defeat. 

“Playing my first game of the season was definitely nerve racking. I wanted to make my coach and parents proud,” starter Skye Thomas said.

The first quarter starts off and both teams continuously go back and forth with the ball, a minute in and Buena has the ball. The girls pass the ball to each other before Skyler Nerdia shoots the ball but she misses. The ball goes to Foothill but is quickly stolen back by Thomas, who passes the ball to Rihannah Lopez, who shoots the ball and puts Buena in the lead. 

However, the first quarter ends with a score of 13-11 putting Foothill in the lead. Throughout the second period, Foothill continues to stay ahead until the last few minutes. With three minutes left on the clock the teams are tied, and neither are wavering in their determination to pull ahead on the scoreboard. Lopez puts Buena in the lead when she makes a foul shot, a free shot given to one team when the other makes a foul. 

The second quarter  ends at 19-17 with Buena in the lead. Buena put their whole heart onto the court for the rest of the second period. With seven minutes on the clock both teams are once again tied, Foothill having tied up the score. With two minutes left, neither of the two teams have scored until Buena is given a foul shot and Lopez makes the shot both times. The ending score of quarter two is 19-17 with Buena still in the lead. 

Quarter three starts off with Foothill scoring, but Lopez once again makes a basket putting Buena in the lead with 21-20. The girls pass the ball at half court letting the clock run before Lopez makes a shot with just over five minutes left. Buena continues to rise on the scoreboard as Thomas helps her team by stealing the ball out of Foothills hands.

The third quarter ends with a score of 33-24 with Buena ahead by nine. At the start of the fourth quarter Foothill is close to catching up with Buena, but they are still behind with just under six minutes on the clock. As the game continues, Foothill continues to keep scoring and with less than four minutes they surpass Buena on the scoreboard with 36-33; they continue to bring their score up as they are given two free shots that they make both times. 

With just a minute of the game left, a time out is called and the score is 41-36 with Foothill in the lead. Neither team slows down, Buena’s player two, Janelle Jimenez, is able to make a shot with only 41 seconds left on the clock. Foothill is once again given a foul shot which they make both times, keeping them in the lead. Right after Buena is given a foul shot as well, player three makes the shot both times but the score is 43-41 with Foothill in the lead and only 33 seconds of the game left.

“I definitely learned that I need to not get so down on myself and that I can’t make perfect plays all the time,” Thomas said. 

The final score is 45-42 with Foothill taking the win. Both teams gave their all in the game and did not slow down for a moment. Buena’s Varsity girls, while disappointed at the loss, will continue to play their best throughout the rest of their season.

“The team can improve on talking more and working as a team as well as being there for each other,” Olivia Decierdo, said.