Last Wednesday, Feb. 21, the Skyline Women’s basketball team were named champions after defeating the College of San Mateo Bulldogs 66-60 in the California Community College Athletic Association (3C2A) Coast-North Championship.
The Lady Trojans stepped onto the court with confidence after securing a win against City College of San Francisco on Feb. 16. Still, a few factors put them at a disadvantage.
Their opponent, College of San Mateo, had a record of 17-8 and had celebrated a win against Ohlone College. Skyline’s record was 14-13 going into their game against College of San Mateo, making them the underdogs of Wednesday night’s game.
Post-game, the Trojans shared how they mentally and emotionally prepare themselves to give their all for their games.
Shooting guard Marley Lungi sets time out of her day before a game to pray for the strength, confidence and safety of her team. Point guard Emma Aoki takes a completely different approach when it comes to locking in before a game, saying she listens to throwback music and eats Nerd Clusters before every game.
While pre-game rituals are important in preparing for an intense game, the players emphasized that being able to stay united as a team during challenging situations is even more essential when handling pressure.
“There is not just one player on the floor, it takes five of us to win games,” Lungi said.
Aoki echoed similar sentiments, reflecting on the team’s chemistry during the game against College of San Mateo.
“Today especially, we just had to stay composed,” Aoki said. “Trusting your teammates especially not to give in to the pressure–that’s how other teams get you–with fear so just try to stay composed and never feel rushed.”
From the tip-off until the final seconds of the fourth quarter, Skyline demonstrated their tireless commitment to securing a win. The game remained close, as Skyline struggled to gain a significant lead due to multiple missed 3-point attempts and turnover trouble.
The Lady Bulldogs proved to be challenging competitors as they continued to close the score gap, leaving the crowd uncertain about the outcome of the game until the final minutes.
The Trojans used their chemistry and communication to their advantage.
Skyline remained composed through the brutal chants from the crowd, managing to maintain a slight lead in all four quarters. As the final buzzer sounded, it was apparent that Skyline had emerged victorious, igniting a wave of excitement from the bench. The scoreboard reflected their hard work and commitment to the game, with a final score of Skyline College 66 – College of San Mateo 60.
Skyline’s assistant coach, Yazmeen Goo, linked the team’s success to their unity, composure and perseverance throughout the season.
“I thought we faced a lot of adversity,” Goo said. “We played a really tough preseason where we took quite a few losses so just being able to stay composed and then enter conference play and get some wins shows a lot about their character.”
Although there were setbacks, those challenges increased their unity. It appeared that despite the team battling injuries and losses in the preseason, their consistency and motivation to win is the reason the Women’s Basketball team are conference champions.
As the Skyline Women’s basketball team celebrates their hard-fought victory, they hope to approach the first round of the 3C2A Regional Playoffs with the same confidence and determination they demonstrated in Wednesday’s game.
