There’s really nothing like the kind of chemistry that comes from playing sports together for four years. For senior center Hailey Miller and senior point guard Miranda Sibley, coordinated offensive plays are second nature — a connection that shone during the girls’ varsity basketball team’s 54-29 win over Sequoia High School on Friday, Jan. 10. Amidst the roars of Sequoia’s home crowd and chants from the Burlingame cheer squad, the Panthers dominated the Ravens in their second league victory of the season.
With momentum coming off three consecutive wins, the team jumped out to an early 18-point advantage in the first quarter.
“The game being league [had] a whole other set of pressure, because we obviously want to make it as far as possible,” Miller said. “So we start off the jump really, really aggressive. We don’t take anything for granted. We don’t slow the ball down. We push it and we run the court as fast as possible from the jump, because we know that as time goes on we’ll get tired, so it’s crucial that we [enter a rhythm].”
But Sequoia didn’t give up, going on a run of their own. Reinvigorated by a half-time performance from Sequoia’s dance team, the Ravens chased the Panthers to narrow the point deficit to nine.
But with junior Sam Arce’s ferocious rebounding, a couple of 3-pointers from junior Addie Uhrich, and dozens of fast-break layups orchestrated by Miller and Sibley, the Panthers’ cohesive teamwork proved unstoppable. The team cut through Sequoia’s tough defense in the key and maintained a solid lead until the final buzzer.
“Before the game, we were really motivated as a team to start the season on a good note,” Arce said. “I’m usually pretty nervous, but after seeing how we play it together as a team, I felt like we were doing really [well]. We hustled back on defense and we were able to run our plays smoothly.”
The number of returning players from last year’s team has proven to be a valuable asset this season. Burlingame’s victory against Sequoia was largely driven by their relentless focus on improvement and strong team chemistry built during practice.
“We’ve grown so much as a team compared to last year,” Miller said. “Everyone knows their role on the team. We’ve also locked down our plays, and we have good basketball IQ, which is not easy to build.”
Between Miller and Sibley, however, the connection is practically telepathic.
“I’ve played with Miranda for probably the longest on this team,” Miller said. “We have such good chemistry, because we’ve been playing together for all four years. She can just give me a look and I’ll know exactly what she wants me to do.”
The Panthers next take the court — looking to extend their winning streak to seven games — on Friday, Jan. 17, when they face off against Woodside High School in their season’s fourth league contest.
*Correction: In an earlier version of this article, we mistakenly identified Hailey Miller and Miranda Sibley as co-captains.These errors have since been edited.
