The Diamond Bar High School girls basketball team was knocked out of the CIF Playoffs, losing 65-59 last Thursday against No. 1 seed Yucaipa.

The girls finished the year with an overall record of 20-8 but had an up-and-down 6-4 league record.

In their second meeting with South Hills, the Lady Brahmas won 52-51 but the girls lost 43-42 in their season finale against Bonita. If the girls had defeated the Bearcats, they would have been tied for first in league. Instead, DB finished fourth.

“The regular season was tough, but we won some great games too,” head coach Tony McCabe said. “We have six good teams in our league, so every game is tough.”

Junior Sabrina McNally said that the intensity of the games and fight for CIF has brought the team together.

“I think we’ve improved a lot, because in the beginning, we didn’t really work as a team because we have a lot of girls who are seniors, juniors, sophomores and freshmen, so I didn’t think we [worked] well. But now, we’re starting to work together better,” McNally said.

With its season at an end, the team is already preparing for next season. However, the Lady Brahmas will have holes to fill as five seniors are leaving the team, three of whom are senior captains Juliana Gamboa, Candace Black, and Lauryn Del Campo.

The three senior captains have been vital players for the team as they have made up the majority of the starting lineup and the offense.

“We really have everything in place, but we need to get better at it. We’re going to break things down, fundamentals, more of the basics. Work on man defense,” McCabe said. “Everybody needs to sharpen their skills, improve on their roles, and get a chance to build up their conditioning.”

As for junior Kaitlyn Lee, she believes that the varsity team next year will step up their game and do well.

“Despite the seniors leaving, I believe that next year’s team will be strong in its own way. I know that all the returners will put in a lot of effort and hard work next year, just as we did this year,” Lee said.