Our San Marcos Royals took on the Dos Pueblos Chargers in girls varsity basketball on Thursday, January 25. They played with both strong defense, and offense. The first time these teams played was January 4th, where the royals lost 87-40, leaving them fired up for the rematch against the Chargers. 

With a varsity team of 12 players spanning across all four grades, the Royals are led by coach Tiffany Simms, and four senior team captains Mia Martinez, Carley Nielson, Natasha Stapf, and Natasha Bender. Their overall record this season is 11-10, and their league record is 4-7, with three more games to go before they close out their season on February 1st. The game was intense, and San Marcos fought hard, behind 11-12 at the end of the first quarter, and at halftime they were down 23-25. The teams were in a close game, and in the first half the Royals defense was solid, and the girls continued to take good shots.

“We were out some players due to injuries so it didn’t go the way we planned. Everyone played well and it was a good game,” said sophomore Amelyse Wong. “The most important thing for us to remember is we all play because we love it and to try to take away the pressure and nerves.”

In the second half, the Royals spent more time on offense, and continued to make their shots. The game would be a tight one being 33-34 at the end of the 3rd quarter. At the start of the 4th quarter the Royals played with increased intensity and gained on the Chargers, communicating well and keeping the team together.

“Our team chemistry is so great, everyone is so encouraging and we’ve all gotten so close this season,” said Wong.

In the end, the Chargers would score a layup with 10 seconds left that put them above our Royals by two points. A close game the whole way through, ended with a victory for Dos Pueblos, with the final score being 44-46.