Girls Basketball Finishes Season in CIF

Aliso Niguels Girls Basketball team finished off their season in the second round of CIF after losing to Cypress High School. The Wolverines played Cypress after winning in the first round game against Claremont High School in a close game that ended 38-36. 

Aliso came into CIF with a 9-17 record after going 4-4 in League, securing 4th place. The team then qualified for CIF Division 2A and was ranked 19th in the Southern Section. 

In their first-round game the Wolverines pulled off a major upset against Claremond who was the 4th ranked team in their section. Claremont had finished their season with a record of 24-4 earning 1st in the Palomares League. 

With the Wolverines’ 1st round game being the fourth vs nineteenth ranked teams, Aliso was predicted to lose. The team was met with what they described as the biggest student section they ever played against. 

Shanna Brown, (12) team captain, thought that her team was able to persevere despite the challenges. “We never let the fans get to us. We played together and we had each other’s backs all the way down to the wire.”

Fellow senior and fellow co-captain, Hannah Carbajal thought the game secured their reputation as a team and proved their worth. “The game showed everyone that we deserved to be in CIF just as much as anyone else and we can compete just as much as everyone else.” 

After their upset in the first round the Wolverines moved on to play Cypress High School. Cypress won their first round against Tustin High School earning a massive lead with a final score of 72-43. 

Cypress was ranked fifth in CIF behind Claremont and had a 24-5 record after going 10-0 in league. The Wolverines lost the game 59-35 effectively ending their season. They finished their season as the ultimate underdog. 

Hannah Carabajal described their season saying, “We definitely had our ups and downs but we showed everyone that we are the underdogs and not to underestimate what we can do as a team.” 

Hannah is one of 4 seniors that were on the Wolverines roster. Shanna Brown, Jaymie Brown, and team manager Madison Breen all will be graduating in a couple of months. Shanna Brown will be continuing her basketball journey at the collegiate level at Chapman University. Hannah will be attending Colorado University, Boulder in the fall. 

Shanna (12) reflected on her time at Aliso and said that she is “definitely going to all the friendships she’s made and all the game days.”

Hannah has similar sentiments about her team. “I am going to miss playing with everyone at Aliso. They became my family and we went through so much together. They saw me at my lows and highs, and I am going to miss seeing them everyday.”