By Riley Segal
Staff Writer
Photos by Brian Kojima
The girls’ varsity basketball team destroyed the Blair Vikings 77-14 at home on Friday, January 15. This second consecutive win brings the Tigers’ league record to 2-0 and overall record to 8-4. Blair was no match for the high-caliber play South Pas brought to the match.
The first quarter began with a three pointer from junior Juliana Tom, and it was from there that the Tigers’ would take control of the game. Senior Kristen Kafkaloff racked up 18 points alone, with Tom earning 17 of her own. South Pas provided solid defense as well, as the Vikings didn’t have a chance to score that quarter, which would end at 33-0.
Tom opened the second quarter with another basket, before she, Kafkaloff, and junior Jalynne Li were taken out to give other teammates an opportunity for more playing time. Freshman Kayla Zhang made three consecutive layups to bring the score to 41-0. Blair would retaliate with its first point of the night off of a free throw, though the Tigers would respond with more baskets of their own. Freshman Lauren Kafkaloff earned the last points for South Pas of the quarter, and the half finished at 49-5. Despite the Tigers’ considerable lead, many of their shots weren’t falling, and several opportunities were missed.
South Pas entered the second half with K. Kafkaloff, Li, and Tom on the bench, and they would not re-enter for the rest of the game. L. Kafkaloff opened with another basket, but soon after the Vikings attained two more point off of a rebound. Zhang followed with a three, and Blair would again strike back with another basket. A layup from junior Jade Lin following a basket from L. Kafkaloff put the score at 63-10. The Tigers’ missed several rebounds, however, and the third quarter would end at 65-14. Blair grossed nine points in the third, but would be held for the final quarter.
Although South Pas was controlling the game, they had trouble finding the basket in the fourth quarter. L. Kafkaloff continued to impress with several points, including a layup off of a steal. Sophomore Tiffany Holmes garnered another point for the Tigers from a free throw. The final basket of the night was made by L. Kafkaloff, who totaled 16 points in the game, to end the game at 77-14.
“Even though we didn’t play at our best level, we definitely didn’t play down to Blair’s level,” Zhang said. “We kept our intensity throughout the game, and tried to make smarter passes rather than just shooting.”
The Tigers look to gain another win against La Cañada on the road on Wednesday, January 20 at 5:15 p.m. South Pas is determined to bring its league record to 3-0 and overall record to 9-4.
Statistics
Kristen Kafkaloff: 18 points
Juliana Tom: 17 points
Lauren Kafkaloff: 16 points
Kayla Zhang: 15 points
Tiffany Holmes: 9 points
Kiana Reynolds: 6 points
Jade Lin: 2 points
Jalynne Li: 2 points
