After losing three of the last four Hacienda League games, the Diamond Bar girls basketball were on the brink of not making the CIF playoffs. However, the Lady Brahmas, behind senior guard Norah Wu, regained their form Friday by defeating the Rowland Raiders 51-20. DB currently sits in fifth place with an overall record of 8-10 and a league record of 1-3.

“The girls played a great game. The loss against Diamond Ranch and West Covina really hurt us, but we managed to keep our heads up and beat Rowland today,” coach Tony McCabe said.

In the first quarter, the Lady Brahmas started off on the right note as they went on a 7-0 run, making the Raiders use three of its timeouts in a span of four minutes. The inside presence of sophomore centers Destinee Garr and Kayla Rice overpowered the undersized right from the beginning.  DB collected many second chances from offensive rebounds and held the Raiders’ offense to one possession. After giving up two baskets to the Raiders, the Lady Brahmas were up 12-5 after the first quarter.

“Destinee and Kayla were huge for us. If we can rebound the ball, we can beat any team we face in the league,” McCabe commented. With half of the league play done, the Lady Brahmas have put their hopes into the play of Garr and Rice to become the next Yewande Alabi, a former double-double Lady Brahma who graduated last year.

The game was out of reach by the end of the second quarter.  The backcourt of Wu and senior guard Colleen Siu controlled the tempo of the match as they helped the Lady Brahmas set up their half-court on all of their possessions. The impressive offensive showing made the game a one-sided affair. DB’s defense held Rowland to four second quarter points and was too much for the Raiders. Going into halftime, the Lady Brahmas were winning 31-9, with Wu scoring 14 of those points.

“Norah played exceptional for us today. She is a great player and we are lucky to have her,” McCabe stated.

The Lady Brahmas continued their stellar play after halftime, outscoring the Raiders 20-11. Senior guard Natalie Wong led the team with two three-pointers, finishing the game with eight points. Wu, a member of the 2013 All-Hacienda League team, scored a team high 17 points.

“This match is definitely a confidence builder game for us as we face Walnut and Bonita next week,” McCabe said.