The Olympian High School girls basketball team defeated the host Chula Vista Spartans, 64-48, in a non-league match-up Tuesday to improve to 9-4 on the 2015-16 season. The Lady Titans entered the game ranked 13th among the division’s 20 teams.
OHS head coach Fred Von Husen Jr. said it’s too early to start talking about playoff positioning. But it’s not too early to talk about team bonding.
“We have a young team,” he said. “We started with a large group — about 15 players. As a group, they have come together to create a strong team bond. We have freshmen, juniors, sophomores and seniors — the whole ensemble.
“The seniors on our team have provided guidance that makes my job easier.”
The Lady Eagles’ senior leaders include Lilian Von Husen, Gabrielle Yagyagan, Justine Federe and Kaylani Brown.
Olympian also has two sophomore standouts who have led by example: Alex Macaraey and Cynthia Green.
Eight players contributed points in Tuesday’s win.
Sophomore Malia Talavera led the Lady Eagles with 15 points in Tuesday’s victory, followed by Macaraey with 13 points. Sophomore Nicole Paranada and freshman Eva Ciriza each contributed eight points.
Green (9.6 points per game) led the team in scoring through 11 games, followed by Yagyagan (6.7 points per game).
Olympian led Chula Vista, 28-18, at halftime and increased its lead to 22 points at the end of the third quarter.
The Lady Eagles freely substituted players throughout the second half as part of their overall team philosophy.
“We don’t have the same five starters in each game, we count on everyone to contribute,” Von Husen said. “We want everyone involved, we want to work as a team to be flawless.”
Olympian hosts Imperial (12-3) in a key non-league game on Friday at 7 p.m. before tipping off Metro-Mesa League play the following Friday (Jan. 22) at Mater Dei Catholic.
“Imperial is a tough team and, when we start league, we will be playing tough teams,” the Lady Eagles coach explained. “We will have to study one team at a time. We have to see what’s in front of us and see how we adjust.
“We need to improve on our free-throw shooting.”
