Five seconds. What could the other team possibly do in just five seconds before the game ends?
Well, win it.
In a devastating twist, girls’ varsity basketball suffered a slim, last-second 47-45 defeat to Terra Nova High School — a team they had previously beaten on their senior night — during their last league game before the Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs on Friday, Feb. 14.
“That other team is good,” Coach Ned Diamond said. “They’re one of the better teams in the league, and we only beat them by one possession last time. ”
The game was a fierce, relentless battle as both teams fought hard to earn the victory. The Tigers held the advantage from behind the arc, but each time they pulled ahead, the Panthers closed the gap with layups from junior Haleh Ansari and senior Hailey Miller.
Trailing by three with 32 seconds left on the clock, senior Nat Gyde knocked down a monumental 3-pointer, tying the game. With five seconds remaining and the ball in the Tigers’ possession, it looked like the game was headed for overtime. But Terra Nova took advantage of two timeouts and a timely out-of-bounds play, sinking the decisive shot at the buzzer that secured the win.
“The last five seconds were frustrating,” Ansari said. “The whole time I felt like we had it, and for us to lose was [disappointing].”
A few factors contributed to the tough loss, including a disappointing defeat to San Mateo earlier in the week to lose the Peninsula Athletic League (PAL) title and multiple athletes missing the game due to flu sickness and injuries.
“I feel like we’re just not at our top right now,” Ansari said. “We haven’t really been in our normal group. Addie [Uhrich] is sick, Ella [McHenry] hurt her back, [and Miller] sprained her wrist and hurt her finger.”
The team also struggled to handle Terra Nova’s guards, exposing gaps in their zone defense.
“It [was] timely threes from unexpected places that we hadn’t seen from before,” Coach Ned Diamond said. “They [also] went through the strategy of trying to take Miranda out of the game and make someone else bring up the ball. That’s [a] scenario that we just have to continue to practice.”
Despite the loss, Diamond still felt like there were positives from the game.
“We only played [with] eight tonight, and I feel like they all probably sweated through their jerseys,” Diamond said. “… I think I’m just proud of the whole group.”
After ending the regular season with a 10-2 league record and second place in the PAL Ocean standings, the team still has high expectations with the CCS playoffs just around the corner.
“We had a great run last year, so I’m really excited,” Diamond said. “I think this group is looking forward to — especially the seniors — their last go-through for CCS.”