Successfully navigating through its games and practice matches,  the Diamond Bar High School’s girls basketball team is doing better than it has done before in the past 21 years.   Currently ranking first in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune and seventh in CIF Division 1A, the Lady Brahmas have made a promising start to their season.

“The number one thing we’ve improved on is rebound and shooting.  We don’t give other teams second shots, and we make more baskets than ever,” head coach Tony McCabe said.  “We have great offensive players, and the kids have worked hard on getting better.”

Senior captains Destinee Garr and Kayla Rice, along with junior captain Juliana Gamboa have emerged as the team’s key players. Garr has become the team’s most solid defensive player averaging at around 6 rebounds per game while Rice has achieved the most blocks per game out of the girls.  Gamboa has especially shown considerable skill with an average of 14 points per game.

This year, the Lady Brahmas made slight improvements on defense, holding opponents to just 30 points a game, down from 32 last year.  However, the team has taken the biggest stride offensively, as they have averaged 56 points a game compared to just 35 points last year.

According to McCabe, assistant coaches Kylance Malveaux and Erica Young have both contributed much to the team’s success after working with the girls individually to improve their skill

The girls practice all year round without much break.  When in season, the girls train with weights and then move on to have their near daily practice.  Even their Saturday mornings are devoted to basketball.

Most members play on teams outside of school to gain more experience. McCabe is proud to have highly skilled kids on the team who are going to keep playing in college, some of whom have already been recruited.

On Jan. 8, the team defeated Ayala for the first time in many years, 50-33.  They also played a decisive game on Jan. 12 against South Hills and won with a large margin of 53-36.

The Brahmas were also champions of the Claremont tournament and runner ups in the San Dimas tournament.

McCabe said he considers Bonita and South Hills as the Lady Brahmas’ strongest competitors.  Bonita has won four of the last five league titles, but took second place last year to South Hills while DBHS was ranked fourth.

However, the Lady Brahmas are proving to be a top contender in the Palomares league with victories against Claremont on Jan. 15 and Bonita on Jan. 22, 71-29 and 39-22. The team’s next match will be its second meeting against Ayala this Friday.