The girls varsity basketball team faced off against the Langley Saxons on Thursday Feb. 13. However, offensive struggles led to a 58-37 loss for the Highlanders, leaving them at 0-2 against their crosstown rival for the season.
“Langley did a really good job pressing up on us, and they were very very physical which made us uncomfortable and we weren’t as crisp as we should have been,” coach Pat Deegan said.
Langley came out of the gates hot as they nailed shot after shot in the first quarter. The Highlanders could not match Langley’s offensive output, and the Saxons held their lead throughout the half. The Saxons were led by senior point guard Anya Rahman, who perfected Langley’s offensive schemes.
“I think the challenges we faced were knowing how to properly defend their players, especially Anya,” senior forward Alyssa Evans said. “I think it’s important to notice each individual’s talent and each individual’s singular trait and I think we just struggled adjusting to that.”
The second half was more consistent for the Highlanders, but they couldn’t make up any ground on Langley’s explosive offensive in the first half. Despite the loss, there was a bright spot on the court for the Highlanders.
“Alyssa Evans does what she does well, I think she’s the best rebounder in the district and she was scrapping throughout the game,” Deegan said.
The Highlanders showed grit on defense throughout the game, but their offense could not find a consistent rhythm. Langley’s pressing and perimeter defense led to the Highlanders forcing shots and struggling to implement their offensive schemes. Eventually, Deegan adjusted her strategy, but her efforts were too little, too late.
“The physicality bothered us today when we were handling the ball,” Deegan said. “Today was the first day we played a 1-2-2 zone offense and we had some good moments, but we also had some bad moments so we will continue to watch it on tape to see the adjustments we can make.”
The Highlanders currently have a .500 win percentage with an 8-8 record and are looking to find success in their district tournament. So perhaps, they may get another crack at Langley if they make it past the first few rounds of the playoffs.
“We are going to introduce a little two three zone specifically for Langley if we’re fortunate enough to get there,” Deegan said. “Us coaches have to sell them on how the plays are going to work, and I think because their such great kids, I think will get that done, and we have two or three more practice days, no more snow, so we’ll be ready to roll.”
