![“I wasn't discouraged by some of the obstacles we faced. I learned a lot from the leadership. I found that different people need different ways of receiving feedback — you can't [just] tell them to do something and expect the best. [Some] people needed more incentive. A large part of my role was to figure out what worked for everyone and to figure out how to lead all these separate individuals as a team,” Suhana Bhandare (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/SuhanaBhandare_JasmineHansra-1-1200x798.jpg)
![“This is actually from Randy Pausch Randy P. Brick: ‘Walls are there for a reason. You have to show how much you want to overcome them.’ You have to show how much you want something. That's what I've always been able to do with tennis, Link Crew and getting that internship [with Kushy Baby]. It’s important pushing through that — getting around that brick wall, climbing over it or clawing through it,” Yash Sachdeva (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/YashSachdeva_RamBatchu-copy-1200x1002.jpg)
![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
Varsity girls basketball team defeats Lincoln 51-19
Featured photo: Claire Yu (9) and Lexi Nishimura (12) defend a Lincoln High School player at the varsity girls basketball game on Tuesday. The Eagles defeated Lincoln 51-19.
December 11, 2022
The varsity girls basketball team beat Lincoln high school 51-19 at home on Dec. 6 to bring their league record to 1-2.
The Eagles opened with a strong start, shutting down Lincoln’s offense and ending the first quarter 13-0. Lincoln opened the second quarter with four consecutive points, but Gemma Chan (10) hit a three-pointer that dismantled Lincoln’s run and put the Eagles up 18-4. Isabella Lo (10) hit a three-pointer to end the first half 27-11.
Both teams traded points at the beginning of the third quarter, but Harker pulled out ahead with several momentum-gaining plays. Co-captain Leisha Devisetti’s (12) three-pointer brought the score to 35-13. The team pushed harder, finishing the third quarter 39-15.
The Eagles dominated the final quarter, opening with a ten point scoring run including an assist from co-captain Claire Miao (11) and a layup by Leisha. Two free throws by Isabella and another three-pointer from Gemma contributed to the boost. After a brief comeback by Lincoln, a rebound and conversion by Lexi Nishimura (12) ended the game 51-19.
Varsity assistant coach Rick Riebhoff noted the team’s efforts at passing between all players on the court. He expressed his hopes for developing the team’s communication with each other.
“[The girls] were really unselfish,” Coach Riebhoff said. “They always looked for open scores and shared the ball really well. [We could work on] communication defensively, calling out screens, fighting through them. We’re improving every day.”
Team member Emily Mitnick (10) also emphasized the team’s focus on building strong connections with each other. Her goal for the team is to function as a cohesive unit.
“I want us to become a really strong team, not just skill wise, but also with our connection,” Emily said. “I want us to be able to basically read each other’s minds and know what we’re doing and not just be 10 or 11 individual players, but one coordinated team.”
Co-captain Claire highlighted the team’s past successes, where last year they won second in the Central Coast Section (CCS) tournament and reached the second round of Norcals. In the face of roster changes, she and her teammates have stepped into new leadership roles.
“We lost some of our key players, but I just want to keep that same level of success within our team,” Claire said. “A lot of people have to step up. I just hope as a team, we’re able to build bigger players as bigger roles for each individual player. For me [personally], I want to have a lot of assists to share [with] the team and involve all my teammates.”
