The Paly varsity girls’ basketball team kicked off its season with a 69-44 win over North Salinas, Wednesday. This was the team’s first game of the season, although league games do not start until January.

This season, the team is led by six returning seniors whose experience and talent should make them very competitive. Savannah Hayes, Sara Schulte, and Jossy Tseng are co-captains, and will be responsible for keeping team unity, organizing dinners, ordering warm-ups for the season, and helping run practice. They are also planning a bake sale this month to raise money to ease the cost of tournament fees and warm-ups.

"We try to keep the team together, and we make sure everyone feels a part of it. Last year we did this by dressing in our warm-ups on game days and having team dinners. We also enforce the consequences for those missing practice," Schulte said.

Although games this month are not league games, they count for the team’s overall record. This record is used to seed the team for Central Coast Section. League games are against teams in our district. Last year, the team had an overall record of 20-7 and a league record of 11-1, with its only league loss to Milpitas, their main competition last year.

"In our game last week, some of the girls from the Milpitas team were there watching us. They really want to beat us again this year; however, we are a strong team, and that will be tough for them to do," Schulte said.

For the last two years, the Lady Vikes have won the Girls’ Basketball De Anza Division title, and they hope to win it again this year.
"That is definitely our main goal this year, to win the De Anza Division," Tseng said. "We have done it for the past two years, so we are definitely capable. We also want to win CCS."

Last year’s team made it to the CCS quarter finals. The girls lost to Notre Dame Belmont, 34-39, in a very close game.

The girls have been practicing all summer long, and they continued to condition in the fall. Now that tryouts are finished, regular practice is held every week night.

The team will compete in several upcoming tournaments. It has one Wednesday through Saturday at Mills High School. There are only eight teams participating, and the girls won it last year. There are also the Oakgrove tournament in San Jose, Dec. 15-20, and the West Coast Jamboree in Antioch, Dec. 27-30. In addition, the girls have season games. Their next home game is Thursday against Piedmont Hills.