A match anticipated by both teams, girls basketball hosted the Mustangs for an intense rivalry game. Both Mira Costa and Redondo held undefeated records in the Bay League. However, our girls proved to be number one, beating the Mustangs 56-40 on Tuesday, Jan. 16, despite Costa’s frontrunner reputation throughout the season.

After a successful win against Palisades High School the Saturday before, the team was prepared and excited to face Costa for the first time this season. 

“We don’t like [Costa] and can’t lose to Costa. That’s our mindset; we’re just coming in ready to win,” senior forward Ella Zimmerman said. 

The girls started off strong, maintaining an offense through fast breaks and capitalizing on open shots while also moving the ball around and breaking the press, denying Costa many runs. They ended the first quarter 17-8. “People weren’t giving us any respect because they thought that [Costa] was going to win, and we really wanted to make a statement. So in the first quarter, [we] started better than our previous first quarters [and] stronger than our other games,” sophomore point guard Abby Zimmerman said.

However, at the start of the second quarter, the girls lost their lead, and Costa went on a run, bringing the score to 17-16. 

“We settled too much and started to relax on defense. When we relaxed, they could gain momentum and start to take control of the game,” sophomore point guard Chloe Choy said. 

The girls regained control, picking up their aggressive offense and defense, ending the first half with a three-pointer by Abby Zimmerman and a 30-23 lead.

“Our coach said at halftime to make a statement with this game and to come out strong with a sense of urgency. I think that helped us stay intense and ensure we were moving fast,” Abby Zimmerman said. 

Heading into the second half, the girls continued to lead the scoreboard, picking up their defense and getting up on their shooters. Choy states that they could “pick each other back up” and “recover” when they made mistakes. 

In the third quarter, the girls continued to relay pressure on Costa, who were hungry to fight back. According to Abby Zimmerman, the team’s ability to hustle back on defense and not get “frazzled” bolstered their lead. The girls continued to make more rebounds and stayed aggressive.

“[During the third quarter] I was like, ‘we got this in the bag,’ because our energy was super great, especially on the bench. Everything was flowing well, and everything felt great,” Choy said. 

The girls closed out the fourth quarter 56-40, defeating the rivals in their first matchup of the season. Ella Zimmerman, who scored 38 points and 13 rebounds overall, closed the game with 27 points, and Abby Zimmerman and Choy followed her with seven points each. The girls will play in an away Bay League game against Santa Monica Friday, Jan. 26.