After beating then-top-ranked Mission Hills, 54-53, Jan. 28, the Wolverines knew that their opponents would be hungry for revenge in the Feb. 7 Senior Night rematch. Ultimately, after leading for the majority of the game, the fourth-ranked Wolverines fell in another nail-biter, 62-61.
Westview started the first quarter strong with Maren Zimmer (12) and Katie Graves (12) scoring back-to-back points and giving Westview a 7-0 lead. Sarah Heyn (11) said that their goal was to come into the game strong because Mission Hills is notoriously skilled at shooting.
Heyn said that the team strengthened their defense leading up to Senior Night, focusing on ways that they could use their taller stature to their advantage.
“We definitely put in a lot of work ahead of time just to make sure we had our defense perfected as well as knowing how to use our strengths in the game,” Heyn said. “Mission Hills is a [physically] smaller team, so we wanted to keep the ball high and away from them since we are taller.”
This strategy was working well for them, as Makena McLaughlin (11), used her height of
5 ’11 to keep the ball away from two defenders. She then passed to Heyn, who scored a three-pointer, furthering their lead and making it 10-3.
As the first quarter progressed, Mission Hills began to close the gap. But, Westview maintained their lead with a score of 16-10.
“I think our positive energy on and off the court was very beneficial,” Graves said.
Heyn kicked off the second quarter with a three-point shot. However, Westview’s scoring slowed after the play.
“Mission Hills is one of the best teams in San Diego, so we knew they could come back at any moment,” Heyn said.
Mission Hills did just that, scoring point after point. With three minutes left of the second quarter, the Grizzlies tied the game at 22.
The rest of the second quarter remained close and ended with Westview up by just one point, 27-26, at the half.
The Wolverines came into the second half hot with Zimmer scoring back-to-back points and furthering their lead with Heyn’s help.
“We were able to flow into a transition offense where we could get easy layups,” Heyn said.
This strategy led the Wolverines to a 10-point lead, and the third quarter ended 52-42.
The gymnasium was booming with excitement as the teams entered the final quarter. Westview continued to rack up points. With three minutes left in the game, it seemed safe to call a victory for the Wolverines: they were still maintaining their 10-point lead (57-47). Then, the game took a turn.
In the last two minutes of the game, Mission Hills kept the ball in their control and gained on Westview. They were able to score two three-point shots and one two pointer. The score now stood at 59-55.
Every tick of the clock and every shot taken was crucial. In the time that Westview scored two more points, Mission Hills scored seven. As the timer buzzed to conclude the game, Westview was one point short.
“I think the fact that they can come back from a 10-point deficit in two minutes is just something a great team does,” Heyn said. “Unfortunately, we were just on the wrong end and came up short at that time.”
After the game, they were proud of the performance they put up against Mission Hills, but they were also disappointed about coming so close.
“I think after this game we were all very frustrated because we know we can beat them,” Graves said. “The only thing that we could’ve done better on is hitting some pressured free throws towards the end of the game, but other than that I am very proud of my team because they gave everything they had until the very end.”
Graves said that if there is a rematch in the playoffs, the team will be better prepared and ready to win.
“As a team, I think we learned a lot from this game, one being that we are good enough to play against any other team in San Diego,” she said. “There are always things that we can do better, but at the end of the day, I am so proud of all our girls, especially our seniors.”
Despite not coming through with a win, Heyn and Graves said they were proud of the way that they played, and that it was actually a big confidence booster. They knew what they were up against: Mission Hills currently holds the number one spot in the league and is ranked 38th in all of California.
“We have put in so much work throughout the season to prepare for this game,” Heyn said. “Even though we came up short, there is never a moment where I am not proud of our team and how far we have come, because I wouldn’t be where I am without this group of girls.”
