Girls’s Basketball returned to the courts in November 2024 with a challenging beginning against Marina High School losing 61-53. Losses to Sonora and Yorba Linda followed.

 With Cypress’ development in the athletics department, the Girl’s Basketball team moved up their rank from Division II to Division I where they currently hold an 11-9 overall record. Although the team is currently maintaining a winning record, it can be difficult to continue the hard work, especially with a new group of players. After last year, the team lost about half its players to graduation, resulting in a search for a fresh set of players. Coach Nathaniel Rivera, who has been Cypress’ coach for 14 years added, “We have a young team, we’re still trying…to see where our benefits are–where our strengths and weaknesses are…it’s a learning process.” 

 Although it can be quite difficult to start from scratch, starting something new can be the start of making new memories. While perfecting a new sport while still being new to the team can be strenuous, support from other team members is a crucial part of building a team. Captain, Morgan Mok said, “I think at first one of the biggest struggles was everybody was new…getting into a rhythm and forming the chemistry took a lot of practice.” 

 Even off the court, the girls continue with their support of each other whenever they have the opportunity. Despite the fact that having an injury prevents a few from joining the court, it doesn’t stop them from cheering for their teammates. Captain Kaiya Choi, who was injured before the season began, explained, “Since I’m off the court this season, my goal is to bring energy from the bench because that affects our players on the court a lot.”

 The team’s hard work continues after every game no matter what the outcome is or how exhausted they are. Their uplifting sportsmanship continues both on and off the courts.