Sophomore guard Karina Garzona wins the jump ball during the team's 41-23 championship victory over Washington on Feb. 25. Photos by Kara Scherer
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The girls’ JV basketball team defeated Washington 41-23 in the championship game on Feb. 25.

With both teams fresh from warm-up, the Cardinals scored five layups in the first quarter, ending it 10-7.

The second quarter was the team’s best quarter, scoring 12 points total through more layups and a three-pointer by freshman guard Brandi Wong. The struggle to aim and shoot was just as intense as in the first quarter, but Washington could only manage to slip in five points.

The baskets were mostly silent during live play for the third quarter, but sophomore guard Bianca Delatorre and sophomore guard and forward Karina Tom earned the team seven points from free throws alone. After the Eagles succeeded in a three-pointer a few minutes in, both teams went down on their hands for the ball but could not score for the rest of the quarter, ending it 31-17.

The Cardinals dominated the beginning of the fourth quarter with their layups again, but the Eagles didn’t lose their steam and earned six points in between many time outs. The final score of 41-23 carried the team to first place in the district league once again.

Though the team holds the championship for the fourth year in a row, the freshmen have prospects of improvement for next year. “We need to work on control and fundamentals,” freshman forward and guard Riki Eijima said. “And I think we should connect earlier, because we played better when we did.”