With a packed crowd, Millikan and Long Beach Poly Girls Varsity Basketball faced off in a heated rivalry match on Friday, January 16.
In an overall defensive and offensive start to the game, sophomore center and player of the game, QUEST sophomore Estella Lopez made the first basket for Millikan, putting them at a 2-2 start against Poly. Post-game, she described putting up a few more points. She described the feeling of starting with a bang and said, “It felt good.”
The game was evenly matched up but turnovers continued to be a common issue for both teams. However, the Rams reacted well to them and used them as an advantage on multiple occasions.
As Poly became more dominant on the court by halftime with a score of 10-27 Poly, Millikan point guard QUEST junior Lindsey Silva, continued her impressive defense throughout the third and fourth quarter. Her confidence remained throughout the game and she said, “I wanted to score, so that was my main goal.”
Although the Lady Rams faced a tough loss with a final score of 21-54, Coach Morgan took a few positives from the game and going forward would like to continue the positives into the next game. Coach Morgan said, “At the beginning of the game we came out strong… we caused them a lot of missed shots, missed cues, [and] some turnovers.”
Girls’ basketball has concluded their 2025-2026 season with an overall record of (5-7).
Natasha Willaert • Mar 2, 2026 at 7:53 pm
The article does a great job of setting the scene by mentioning the packed crowd and heated rivalry, which immediately draws the reader’s attention. I liked how it highlighted sophomore Estella Lopez as player of the game and included her quote, because it adds personality and emotion to the story. In addition, it adds a great outside perspective because it is from the athlete themself who experienced the game firsthand. The description of the defensive and offensive start clearly explains how competitive the matchup was from the beginning to the end.
I also appreciated that Coach Morgan’s reflection focused on positives despite the loss, because that shows resilience and growth. The final score and season record of 5-7 provides important context about the team’s overall performance. Furthermore, the article has a clear chronological structure. It walks readers through the game from the opening basket to halftime, then into the second half and final outcome, making it easy to follow the progression of events. This organized approach helps readers clearly understand how momentum shifted throughout the game.
Lindsey Sylva • Mar 2, 2026 at 10:55 am
I found the article to be a great representation of our girls’ basketball teams’ resilience and grit. Being on the basketball team myself, I felt that the article expressed our teams’ willingness to keep going and improving, something our entire program prides ourselves on. Plus, the article did a great job of including multiple perspectives on the game and highlighting individual strengths and players throughout the game.
I also greatly appreciate Alas’ ability to maintain a nuanced tone throughout. She excellently demonstrated the team as hard working and tenacious but still imperfect with things they need to work on. I also noticed the intensity of the game that Alas’ stressed throughout the article, which made me feel the desperation of the games’ outcome, as if I was experiencing the game for the first time again.
One thing I will add however, is that, maybe Alas could include more strengths that the team showed throughout the game, or even throughout the season. Or possibly include more of a background on the rivalry between the Millikan and Poly teams.
Nonetheless, the article was excellent and represented the team well, also making me excited for the next season.