On Friday December 4th, Highland’s girls varsity  basketball took on Judge’s mighty bulldogs in a tight knit game, resulting in a victory for the Lady Rams, 59-48.

Both teams showed great offense and many 3 – point shots were delivered by both teams. Highland’s senior Marlee Machon lead the team along with senior Nani Tonga, both scoring over half of the points for the team.

“Machon is an extremely strong leader,” their coach, Kurt Schneider said. “Tonga […] does the small things that keeps the team together.”

In the first quarter the Rams were down 5 points, but in the second quarter, their defense was tightened and more shots were blocked, while still maintaining a tough offense that the Bulldogs were not able to recover from.

In the second half, junior Macy Wilson’s appearance guaranteed  the win for the Lady Rams by her impeccable free throws.  She scored 16 points.

Judge’s hardy offense still proved to be a  challenge for the Lady Rams.

“Judge is very physical,” Schneider said. “Their physicality really bothered us.”

But with the help of sophomore Lana Olevao and  senior Jane Lotubai, the Rams were able to maintain a strong defense, even when faced with the powerful Judge players.

“They played team basketball,” Schneider said. “The girls competed and played hard.”

This years team are very strong, and they have high expectations.

“I really believed that me and my team have the ability to take state” Tonga said.

The Lady Rams played outstandingly against Judge, maintaining a scoring offense, adapting their defense to the powerful Bulldogs, and most importantly, playing united as one strong team.