On Jan. 8, the Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) girls basketball team took on Bishop Diego High School (Bishop Diego) for their third Tri-Valley League game of the season. Despite the game being held on Foothill Tech’s home floor, the Ventura College Athletic Event Center, the Dragons had their share of struggles, which resulted in a 36-61 loss.
Jocelyn Morales ‘28 and Clara Smith ‘26 led the team in scoring with 18 and eight points, respectively. However, Bishop Diego’s offense proved to be too much for the Dragons to handle.
“Defense today was off. We didn’t do the basics, which are just getting back, covering the paint and not allowing layups. We allowed too many layups tonight. We were complacent, a little lazy and not ourselves,” Foothill Tech head coach Chuck Ferris said.
Bishop Diego got out to an early lead thanks to three quick three-point shots in succession to open the first quarter. Bishop Diego capped off an impressive half of three-point shooting with eight three-pointers made in the first half alone for a 19-point advantage after 16 minutes.
“Our energy wasn’t as high as we wanted it to be, and that’s something our team really thrives on. Bishop Diego was really good at hustling back on the court and it felt like we were always one step behind them,” said Smith.
Bishop Diego continued to pad their lead as high energy allowed for a dominant paint presence and easy layups.
“When we’re letting them just get layups, we’re wearing ourselves out, then our offense just crumbled as well. It’s hard to watch in part, but the girls fought. They did what they could and tried to adjust to some of the adjustments we were asking to make,” said Ferris.
Foothill Tech subsequently continued to try to run their offense as the clock dwindled, and the final buzzer sounded in the closing stretch, resulting in a final score of 61-36.
“I know our team can and will beat them next time we play, as long as we communicate with each other, play our plays and stay in the game,” said Smith.
Foothill Tech will travel to Carpinteria High School on Jan. 19, where they look to bounce back with a victory.
“It should be a really good matchup for us, and we’ll see how it goes. It’s not a league game, but hopefully it’ll prepare us for the rest of them,” said Ferris.
