The Mustangs welcomed the Grizzlies to their court Monday, Feb. 9, for a rematch after losing their last game at Mission Hills 59-44. The game kicked off with junior Jessica Morilak singing the National Anthem.

ASB teacher Rod Keillor introduced the starting lineup of each of the teams and then the game commenced. The Grizzlies started off strong, winning the jump ball and immediately making a lay-up. They then made a two-pointer within 20 seconds. However, this did not discourage the Mustangs. From that point on, the Grizzlies and Mustangs seemed to be taking turns .The Mustangs immediately got into their defensive positions and began working as a team ending the first quarter not too far behind the Grizzlies.

After a quick chat with the coaches and some quick hydration for both teams, the second quarter began with Mustangs throwing in the ball. The Mustangs fought hard the entire quarter with senior Tyler Hagen shooting three’s and seniors Philip Paris and Austin Keillor making great decisions in the post. The second quarter ended with a tie. The crowd was pumped and so were the boys as they jogged up into their room to plan out the rest of their game.

During half time, the fans ran. As the eight minutes quickly passed by the Mustangs took to the court and the fans went wild.

Third quarter began with Grizzlies taking the ball in. The Grizzlies looked afraid of losing the game, so they stepped it up a notch. The Mustangs, however, were able to stay in the game, only trailing behind by a basket or two when the Grizzlies had finally had enough. They began to foul like crazy and ended up getting into This angered one of the Grizzlies so much that he slammed the ball against the wall rather than handing it to the ref which earned him a technical and a free one and one for the Mustangs, adding two points to SDA’s tally.

Fourth quarter had finally come and the fans were on their toes. Fans were about evenly distributed for the Mustangs and for the Grizzlies although the Mustang fans were a bit more hyped than the Grizzlies. With minutes left in the game, the fans began chanting for the Mustangs. For every great play made by a Mustang, the girls varsity basketball team was there to congratulate them. While the Mustangs fought hard until the end, the Grizzlies seemed to have fought a little harder, and eventually began making basket after basket. The Grizzlies definitely had to fight the Mustangs hard until the last second in order to ensure a win.

Junior Grant Sippel said, “When people hear that they are playing SDA next game, we want them to respect us and know that they are going to have to work hard to get that W if they really want it.” The final score was 55-42.

The Mustangs next home game will be tonight against San Pasqual and it will also be their senior night. This is the last home game of the season.