Alisal’s Girls’ Basketball team went through a rough start this season, with two forfeits at the beginning of the season. They, however, were determined and finished out strong. They placed second in the league and 8th seed in the CCS playoffs.

The Lady Trojans had a record of 13-12 overall, and 8-2 league. In the final game of the regular season, the Lady Trojans played Seaside High. If they won, they’d have a share of the title, and would be Co-Champions. Unfortunately, they came up short. With a score of 43-33, Seaside became MBL Champions. Varsity player, Deleynna Martinez says, “We should’ve been more confident against Seaside. I think that’s what hurt us.” Coach Battaglini reflects, “We played well, better than we did the first time with them. We started strong…then Seaside came back and we had a hard time scoring. It was close to the end.” Overall he was “proud of the way we played.”

One of the biggest obstacles of the season for the Lady Trojans was becoming eligible and staying excited about the season. Luckily, though, the girls got everything together quickly. Battaglini says “I think the players themselves started playing again. It was easier to overcome the forfeits since they were early in the season. The first game of CCS didn’t give the Lady Trojans a victory, but the season was an overall success. Martinez says, “Back to back banners would’ve been nice, but runner up isn’t bad.” Battaglini agrees, but adds, “It’s a bit disappointing because we didn’t cash in on the opportunitiy.”

Next year, the team is going to be in the T-Cal league, and is hoping to stay strong. Seven varsity players will be leaving, so it’s up to the underclassmen. Battaglini said, “We need to improve on our shooting. The younger players need to step up. Everyone will need to be improved because the T-Cal league is tougher than the MBL.”