The clock is ticking away and the audience is closely watching the court as the game approaches its final minutes. Spartan number twelve, Amaya Obi-Walker, is currently in possession of the ball, and she’s holding on tightly as the players on both sides watch her like a hawk. With three seconds left on the clock, the other team reaches for the ball, but Obi-Walker looks right to the net as she shoots the game’s buzzer-beater. With a final score of 52-37, the girls basketball game against the Avail Valors ended in Spartan victory.

This game was close to the end of the season, and there have been a few injuries on the team putting some players temporarily out of commission. As sections are coming up, injured players are prioritizing their health to be at peak condition for the big games.

However, this also means some recent games had to be canceled due to the shortage of players, and when there are games, it is common for there to be little to no substitutions for the players. This was the case for the game against the Valors as only six players were able to participate.

“We only had one sub, [so] we all had to play very hard for a very long time,” junior Nijah Johnson said.

Despite the limited number of substitutions, the Spartans kept shooting and kept a strong defense against the other team, scoring 21-27 by halftime. “I enjoyed our energy during the game. That’s why we won. It’s because of our energy and our defense,” first-year Clara Lovelace said.

Gallery • 7 Photos

Zimo Xie

CHARGE FORWARD. Senior Julia Taylor drives the ball forward towards the net as player 15 from Avail Academy defends with man-to-man defense.

Throughout the game, the team focused on executing zone defense. Communication on the court is vital when implementing this strategy because the defense requires the players to notice when the opposing team enters their zone quickly and defend with others around them.

As the second half began, junior Clare Ryan-Bradley was at four personal fouls. All of a sudden, the attention was turned to the referee as he blew the whistle for the fifth time on Ryan-Bradley.

“It was really frustrating,” Ryan-Bradley said.

With five fouls in the game, Ryan Bradley fouled out. The Spartans had no more players eligible to participate, so the team had no more substitutions for the rest of the game. However, even with the complete lack of substitutions, the team persisted.

For the remainder of the match, each time the other team was in possession of the ball, the Spartans continued to play aggressive zones and were eventually able to clinch victory.

The Spartans girls basketball team will play again at home on Feb. 7 at 6:30 p.m. against the Breck Mustangs.