The Encinal women’s varsity basketball team is currently 6-9 over the past first half of the season. The Jets have worked towards a stronger record after a rough start and have upheld fourth place in the WAC conference.
“I think our team has improved because we mesh really [well] as varsity also our skill set[s have improved], not just [by] practicing everyday,” said sophomore Laniya Robinson
The team started off slowly, following a 3-game losing streak. However, the girls quickly turned things around, beating Hayward and Castro Valley consecutively.
“We have definitely improved on our offense and we have been really good with our defense. It’s just we really haven’t been able to translate it to our offensive,” said freshman Leiloa Lyons.
Lyons has made an impact on the team, averaging 10.4 points per game. Being a freshman and head coach Juanita Lyons’ niece, she has led stats in 4 different categories on the team.
“This is my first year playing high school sports and I’m starting out on the highest level,” Lyons said. “…I’m just really happy that my coaches are giving me the opportunity to play at this level.”
Encinal has 6 wins under their belt. Their biggest win was against St. Joe’s, dominating with a 59-38 score. Robinson led in points scoring 20 of the 59.
Other notable wins were against Castro Valley, which was a league game. The Jets are 1-1 in league at the moment and are working to beat both Castro Valley and San Leandro in the coming month.
“I think we did really well. I think we did a good job keeping our cool during the game,” junior Mahri Alconcher said, referring to Encinal’s first game against Castro Valley.
To perform wins like these the teams prioritizes their preparation before games. “Drinking a lot of water, making sure that I have good relationships with my teammates and pushing myself at practice,” Alconcher said.
Encinal’s next game is against Mt. Eden on Jan. 23. The girls are working to gain a winning record as the NCS playoffs round the corner.
