The Aliso Girls Basketball finished the 2024-2025 season with their league games in a chance to qualify for the postseason.
In early January the Wolverines opened up the season with a game against the San Juan Hills Stallions at home. The Wolverines were down by twelve points at the half and unfortunately did not muster enough strength in order to beat the strong Stallion team. The San Juan Hills team had a good preseason, and were in form, going on several runs in order to put the Wolverines away, heading into the remaining seven games with one loss for the conference games.
Next, the Aliso girls basketball team played against the Dana Hills Dolphins. The Dolphins did not have a great set of non-league games this year, with Dana going 5-15 heading into league play. However, the Dolphins ended up playing well against the Wolverines, confidently taking care of the win away at the Wolverines’ home court winning by a final score of 48-27. The first two games for Aliso were not close, with the Wolverines losing by 21 points against the Dolphins.
Despite the Wolverines losing all of their games at the start of league play, they had six more games left to contest in hopes of CIF qualification.
After the Dana Hills game, the Wolverines looked to bounce back against the Trabuco Hills Mustangs. Trabuco had a really good preseason, going on a 10-game unbeaten run to start the non-league season. However, they found themselves in the Wolverines’ position, going zero and three to start the season.
This time, however, the Wolverines experienced a change of tide. They were able to close out the win comfortably by eighteen points, giving them a good boost for the rest of the league games.
Next up for the Wolverines were the league leaders, San Clemente.
It was a difficult game for the Wolverines, as they struggled to find their momentum. They ended up losing this game by 44 points, the biggest margin this season. This kept the San Clemente Tritons in first place for league play.
The Wolverines then played all of the same teams again in the same order, except at the reverse location.
However, the same results were present for the Wolverines, with Aliso losing both away games again to the San Juan Hills Stallions and the Dana Hills Dolphins.
CIF chances began to slip away for the Wolverines, with two games to play and two wins needed to have a chance to qualify, by either grabbing third place or an at-large bid.
The Wolverines’ loss against the San Clemente Tritons unfortunately ended their league season and handed them their sixth league loss.
On the positive side, the Wolverines finished their regular season on a high note, taking a team trip to Catalina to play their High School team in a fun, non-league game. Aliso took care of business and won by 49 points.
For the last game of the regular season, Aliso played against St. Margarets, which they lost in a close game, 43-55.
Despite the unfortunate results, the Wolverines had a season to be proud of.
Senior and star player Reily Hefty stated, “I am so proud with how much everyone has grown as both players and teammates. A lot of good came out of our season, but watching everyone come together on the team and work hard to make each other better is something I am proud to say I’ve been a part of. If I could say something to the younger teammates on my team, it would be to appreciate all the effort and work that they’ve put in and continue to push for themselves and for each other. From where they started, they’ve already improved so much, so I’m excited to see how far they can go if they continue to work the hardest they can.”
Senior Andreanna Kristine also added, “My favorite memory this season was going on our team trip to San Diego. I would say that the highlight of that trip was going to Sea World and doing a scavenger hunt in groups, seeing which group would finish the fastest with fun challenges like taking a picture with a staff member, and overall having a fun time. I really enjoyed spending time with my teammates and going on rides with them.”
The Wolverines have secured an at-large bid to continue the season in the first round of the Division 2A- CIF playoffs. Unfortunately, the Wolverines got knocked out in the first round of the tournament to La Canada, where Aliso lost the game with a final score of 29-49.
Nevertheless, the Wolverines had a great season in its entirety, and are looking forward to coming back even stronger for the 2025-2026 season.
