Bitter Sweet

By Lauren Worten

Who would've thought that the Varsity Girl's Basketball team would get second place at ACSC going into the finals undefeated? Our team came into ACSC hungry, wanting to win, taking that gold, and making history by being the first girl's team to win a championship. The first game of ACSC we played was like no other I've seen all season. We started strong, confident, looking professional, and appearing intimidating to the other teams, and we managed to give off that look. The whole tournament, you could see the fear in the other team's eyes when they were going against us because we dominated any team that came our way.

I not only had a blast playing basketball, but I had a fantastic time with my team. Nicole Khor (12) said, "It was the end of my last basketball ACSC, but the start of a forever bond." I've never been on a team that makes me laugh until I start getting stomach cramps, that I'm so comfortable with I can share my deepest thoughts and feelings, that pushes me to the best of my abilities, that comforts me through losses and celebrates with me through wins. Words cannot express how much I love this team and how proud I am of how far we've come. 

Something I didn't mention earlier is that we lost the finals against Faith… Haylee Douglas (12) said, "Not going to lie, losing the finals was heartbreaking, especially it being my senior year and not being able to have this experience again, but I've never been so proud of my team for all the hard work and effort they put throughout the tournament to get here." 

After the buzzer went off, the emotions hit me. I realized that was the last time I would be in a Dalat Jersey, the last time I could go to a basketball ACSC, and my last high school basketball game. Obviously I wish things were different, and I wish we had brought that first-place trophy home, but that was not the case. We lost. And especially going undefeated throughout the tournament and losing the one game we needed to win sucked. 

But through it all, there was one thing I would never change—my team and how we played. Yes, the finals wasn't one of our best games, but it was a learning experience for the team and for me. The emotions of not winning hurt, but the idea and looking back at how hard we worked to get there is something that will stay with me for the rest of my life. And I am so thankful for this experience and for this team.