The varsity girls basketball team won their home game 49-17 against the Spencerville Hornets on Thursday, Nov. 20.
The Lions started their game by winning the tip off where senior Gila Safra scored the first points of the game. The Hornets responded and scored their first point on a free throw. The Lions held the Hornets to just two points in the first quarter, with the score at 11-2.
The Lions played strong defense, getting two blocks and a steal in just a few plays. Despite this, the Hornets narrowed the lead to just five. In response, the Lions capitalized on the Hornets’ mistakes by making free throws and scoring after a travel by the Hornets. This, in addition to some efficient shooting by junior Jordana Dauber and captain, senior, Tali Loeffler, put the Lions up at halftime 25-12.
All players, not just veterans, made contributions to the game. When freshman Yael Jacobs stepped up to the free-throw line in the second quarter, the game was the closest it had been since the opening minutes. The pressure was on her to make the free throws and put an end to the Hornets’ resurgence. With a crowd of parents and students all watching, she made both shots.
“I was pretty excited, because it was the first time [I had] ever scored this season,” Jacobs said.
In the third quarter, the Lions were winning 42-17 because of their aggressive defense. This aggressive defense led to an increase in fouls and turnovers. Lions coach Becky Silberman said the team had prepared their defense intentionally.
”They knew the intensity coming in, and we gave them a little bit of room to work with that. I said they could jump to the ball, they could jump to the steals, they could do some double teaming and stuff like that,” Silberman said.
In the fourth quarter, the Lions maintained a strong lead, stopping the Hornets from scoring a single point. Jacobs also scored again, with a layup. Dauber, Safra, Loeffler and junior Yarden Wilkenfeld led the way with points scoring 13, 11, 8 and 8, respectively.
After the game, Lions center senior Amalia Netter said that she felt that rebounding was an area where the Lions could focus attention in the future, though she was pleased in general with the outcome of the game.“I think we did a really good job boxing out and passing, and a good job on fast breaks,” Netter said.This win improves the team’s record to 2-1 and shows what the team is capable of.
“This is a testament [to] how [good] our team actually is,” Silberman said. “I’m excited for the rest of the season.”
