Things were looking bleak for the Lady Vikes eight minutes into their first game of the season on Nov. 23. St. Francis was playing fast and hard, and Paly wasn’t keeping up. By the end of the first quarter, the Lancers were leading 8-20.

"We got a little rushed at first and we came out uneasy," forward/guard Katie Barich, the only sophomore on the Paly team, said. "But as soon as we relaxed, we got back into our game and started really working."

The Lady Vikes went into the second quarter looking to atone for the first, but ran into difficulties on the way. Despite Paly’s efforts, St. Francis maintained their breakneck pace, scoring nine points in the first minute of the quarter.

"St. Francis was taking their time, playing good defense, and had a lot of screen-and-rolls," junior forward Amber Jones said. "[Paly] got good shots when they took their time through the plays. The low points came from a lot of turnovers and not being aggressive on the rebounds and defense."

Paly benefited from four points garnered from free-throws by Barich and junior point guard Ranecia Fields, but the Lancers responded fiercely, scoring 25 points throughout the quarter, including a spectacular backwards basket which was met with resounding cheers from the St. Francis stands. The quarter ended 19-45 for disheartened Paly fans.

"Their shots were on," junior guard Melody Gaal said. "They didn’t miss; they had really good ball movement."

Paly’s comeback seemed to be dipping its metaphorical toes in the water in the third quarter. In the words of head Paly coach Amy Stock, the goal of the quarter was to "Read the defense and take them!" The Vikes ended with the ball on an interference charge for St. Francis, 24-51.

The Lady Vikes hit their steady stride in the fourth quarter, playing passionately enough to rack up 13 points.

"The high point [of the game] was when they were pressing us [in the fourth quarter] and we actually transitioned for once and broke their press," Gaal said.

It seemed as though the Vikes might be able to get near their opponents, but St. Francis didn’t slack off their formidable play and managed to keep more than 20 points ahead throughout the period.

"We were in the game," Barich said. "We knew that we got pounded."

While the Lady Vikes made 67% of free-throws, field goals were at a disappointing 22% and Paly allowed 33 turnovers, although they out-rebounded the Lancers.

"As the first game of the season, it was an eye opener for many of the players," Stock said. "It shows us that we need to practice harder, with more intensity."

Although the fate of the game was obvious in the final minutes, to their credit neither team let up until the bitter end, providing some adrenaline-inducing thrills to spectators. The game ended 62-38 in the Lancers’ favor, with Paly scoring 10 points in the final five minutes.

"I think Paly has got a lot of potential this year," St. Francis head coach Ashley Hill said. "Give them a couple of weeks, and they’re going to be knocking off some good teams."

Hill was pleased with her team’s performance. "We played together as a unit tonight, and that’s our goal for the year — to play together as a team."

The Vikes were hindered by benching Jones and also junior guard Bre Clay, who won the Second Team All League Defensive award last year.

Jones and Clay were benched for missing two practices while out of town.

"I don’t think I should have gotten benched from that game," Jones said, who was visiting a college during the trip. "I think the rules are too strict. I think I could have contributed outstanding defense and would have been rebounding and dropping shots in the basket."

Stock’s policy is that a player sits out one game for every practice missed, so the girls did not play in an unofficial scrimmage against Fremont, as well as the St. Francis game. JV sophomore Anne Widera was temporarily moved up to varsity to cover substitutions.

Some players felt that the game may have been somewhat compromised by lack of experience in working as a complete team as well as the result of having valuable talent sitting out.

"We haven’t had enough people in practice to go full speed," Gaal said. "[We were also at a disadvantage] because we didn’t have Bre and Amber."

Junior guard Jane Griffin agreed, "I think we played pretty well, considering we didn’t have two of our best players."

Regardless of setbacks, Paly put on a stellar display in the second half. Fields scored seven points during the game and retained the vitally important point position for all 32 minutes.

"[Fields] played the entire game and never really lost it," Gaal said.

Gaal, who won Paly’s coach-conferred "Player of the Game Award", likewise had an easy-on-the-eyes showing, netting eight points and reinvigorating the team with her aggressive play.

"[Gaal] really got our team pumped up at the beginning of the half," junior forward Megan Grant said. "She started driving really hard and got the team motivated."

The "Player of the Game Award", actually a replica goose, is symbolic of the importance of working together as a team. Like a flock of geese, a successful team knows that everyone benefits from cooperation between individuals, according to an explanatory handout from Stock.

Last season, St. Francis had a 10-18 overall record but made it to the second round of Division III in CCS. The Vikes won last year’s match-up with the Lancers, but Tuesday’s game was peculiar in that it matched improved versions of old rivals. One parent remarked that this St. Francis team is very similar to the one that many Paly juniors faced off against as a JV team in their freshman year.

"The last time they played St. Francis, it [the game] went into overtime," Shirley Clay, Bre Clay’s mother, said.

The Lady Vikes remain confident that they will be able to work through early-season kinks and reach their full potential as a team.

"We have a lot of work to do to become the type of team we need to be in order to win some games this year," Stock said. "The girls are willing to put in the time and effort to reach our goals and we will definitely get better in the months to come."