On Friday, Dec. 13, Issaquah High School’s Girls Varsity Basketball Team won against Eastlake High School with the overall score of 72-61. Number 10 Senior Lia Hanson says, “I felt pretty good about the win. It was a tough game, but I felt like the team really pulled together and worked hard together to get that win.”
The first quarter started off strong for the Eagles as they scored a two-pointer in about five seconds by number four junior Clara Gibbons. Number 13 junior Ciara Smith-Sletten also made an impressive three-pointer. Eastlake retaliated against Issaquah with their defense and slowly gained a score of 4. Gibbons dodged and scored an impressive two points. Number five junior Rhenna Hung made a three-pointer. The Issaquah Eagles ended the first quarter with a lead with the score 19-14.
The second quarter started nicely with a steal from number 42 freshman Nyla Knipp and good ball movement. Eastlake started creeping up in score due to the multitude of successful free throws. Number zero senior Liliana Meissner made a block, and Meissner made a three-pointer. Issaquah ended the first half of the game with the score of 33-25, putting them way in the lead.
During half-time the game brought an adorable surprise by introducing the audience to young members of the Issaquah Select, an organization that provides basketball training and opportunities for young children. In addition, there were two students who were dancing along with Issaquah’s Cheer Team with their own glittery pompoms in a hilarious parody.
The third quarter started rough for the Eagles with Eastlake immediately scoring a two pointer. However, the Eagles retaliated by scoring a two-pointer from Hung. Eastlake started gaining steam as the score slowly turned to 37-33, they were catching up to Issaquah. Meissner scored two points while Smith-Sletten achieved three points. The third quarter ended with the Eagles still in the lead with the score of 53-44.
The fourth quarter started with a foul on the Eagles, but Smith-Sletten followed up with a three-pointer and Hung made a two-pointer. For two whole minutes, Issaquah was scoreless, however, Hanson made a three-pointer and Smith-Sletten made a two-pointer. With less than one minutes left, the score was 65-61. Number 11 senior AnnaRose Eckmann-Manahan made one free throw and Smith-Sletten made two free throws. The game ended with the Eagles winning with the score of 72-61!
The resulting victory also brings a moment of reflection for our girls. Gibbons reflects on the game and explains, “What I can improve on is making more of my free throws. I think we as a team can definitely do better on defense and like talking about where we are going and what we are doing.”
Good luck with the rest of the season Eagles! IHS cannot wait to see how high you will soar as the season progresses. However, it is important to remember to have fun and learn from these experiences. As Coach Samantha Stuart says, “This is a learning moment for everyone. We will always be faced with new challenges and we will have to overcome them. Throughout the season, I would like to see us continue to push ourselves and gain strength in this new season.”
