At the top of the league
GIRLS BASKETBALL Lady Brahmas are off to a strong start, tied for first with a 3-1 record.
Junior Sabrina McNally (right) closes out an Ayala shooter in a 53-50 win.
January 26, 2017
After one of the team’s most successful pre-seasons in recent memory, the Diamond Bar High School girls basketball team enters league with the second best winning percentage.
The team has participated in the Wilson, San Dimas and Don Lugo tournaments, ending each with its best finish in over a decade. The team took first in the Wilson, fifth in San Dimas and second at the Don Lugo tournament.
The Lady Brahmas went 3-1 at Don Lugo, dropping their single game to Upland High School in the championship game.
Coach Tony McCabe attributes the team’s success to players on the bench, who stepped up during the tournament, specifically junior Sabrina McNally as a key “sixth man” for the team over the break.
“She had to substitute for our center who was missing, and she stepped in and became a starter and had a great tournament, rebounding and playing great inside defense,” McCabe said. “The big change that we did this year from the past, is that we have played way down into the bench a lot more, and it’s really helped develop the younger kids too.”
The team played the Glendora Tartans, the highest seeded team in the league, in their first league match on Jan. 10, losing 63-45 despite an early lead. The team also faced off against the Ayala Bulldogs on Jan. 13, coming out on top after a back-and-forth game with a score of 53-50. The team followed up with another victory on Jan. 17, coming back from a 22 point deficit to triumph over the South Hills Huskies 66-58.
This season’s team is one of the “most focused and hardest working” McCabe has coached. And the results show in the number of highlights the season has seen such as senior captain Juliana Gamboa’s quadruple double, or double digits in steals, points, rebounds and assists in one game.
However, senior captain Lauryn Del Campo says that the Lady Brahmas started off at an disadvantage, as they lost two of their key players from last season.
“We really grew together as a team and learned how all the other girls play and where everything fits in together,” Del Campo said. She names this, along with the team’s speed, as two of their biggest advantages over opponents in the league.
Yet, not all is perfect. Del Campo cites the team’s tendency to lose its cool in games as a major detriment during the Don Lugo tournament, and McCabe wants to see more fast breaks out of the team.
