With a young team in the Palomares League, the Diamond Bar varsity girls basketball team are working their way up to compete against the top teams in the league, in hopes of surpassing its 6-6 league record last year. The Lady Brahmas are 9-11 overall and 2-3 in league.

“We are very young and just inconsistent. We were averaging 55 points a game, [but] the last four games we averaged 30 points a game,” coach Tony McCabe said.

Last week, the Lady Brahmas played against Glendora at home. In the second quarter, DB minimized how much the Tartans score, only allowing four points. After the first half, the Lady Brahmas were leading 21-15. At the start of the second-half, DB kept up its momentum and finished strong, 45-34.

Seniors captains Molly McCabe, Marisa Quon, and junior captain Destinee Garr are expected to help the rest of the team develop skills for the next season.

In order to beat South Hills and Ayala, the top teams of this year’s Palomares League, the Lady Brahmas are going to focus on practicing their offense so that they pose more of a threat. Since DB’s defense is more than enough to shut down the tougher teams, practicing its shots will greatly increase their odds of succeeding in the league.

“We’re getting good shots but we’re just not making them. That comes with youth. When we make them, we’re awesome because our defensive is solid, so when we score, we’re pretty tough to beat,” McCabe said.

So far, DB has been playing tight man-to-man defense with a focus on the main scorer. The effects of running this type of defense was shown in a game against South Hills, where DB shut down its leading score. The leading scorer of South Hills scored 18 points in the first half, while DB scored 6. In the second half, the Lady Brahmas stepped up their defense on the point guard, and only allowed her to score six second-half points. In that game, DB’s comeback fell short. Although the Brahmas ended up losing, the game shows that their defense is in top shape and that their offense is still a work in progress.

On Jan. 17, the Lady Brahmas played against Leuzinger High School in Lawndale for the seventh annual Public vs. Private Extravaganza. In the first half, the Brahmas were up 33-19. As the game progressed, the Lady Brahmas kept increasing their lead until the end, winning 68-44.

Last year, the girls came in third place after losing to the undefeated Bonita and Diamond Ranch. With six more league games left, the Lady Brahmas hope to make it to the playoffs for the fifth year in a row.