![“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 boys basketball team loses to Basis 51-60 in hard-fought game
Abhi Namala (12) pushes past Basis players to shoot. The team fell to Basis 51-60 on Jan. 5.
January 12, 2023
The varsity boys basketball team fell to BASIS Independent Silicon Valley 51-60 during a home game on Jan. 5.
Basis started off strong, with Harker trailing behind 4-11. The Eagles struggled to keep the ball in their control, with Basis scoring five more points to gain a larger lead of 15-6. Kevin Zhang (11) scored a three-pointer, giving Harker a small boost and bringing the score to 9-15. Followed by an Eagle time out, Kevin scored a layup, giving Harker two more points in an attempt to close the gap with Basis. With 10 seconds left in the first quarter, co-captain KJ Williams (12) scored, bringing the Eagles to 13-15.
The second quarter began with a gain from the Bobcats but Harker followed close behind, keeping their two-point difference with a score of 15-17. Co-captain Abhi Namala’s (12) layup brought Harker to a tie with Basis at 17-17. With that, the Eagles took off with the lead, with multiple players scoring to bring Harker to 25-17. Basis tried to catch up, but were only able to score in the last three minutes of the quarter. The Eagles ended the quarter with a lead of 25-22.
The Bobcats started off the third quarter strong, gaining a two point lead of 27-25. KJ scored with an attempt to regain the lead, but Basis controlled the ball and kept a score of 32-31. Even with a lot of back and forth, Harker made a strong effort to secure a lead once again, but the quarter ended with Basis ahead 38-33.
In the fourth quarter, Advay Monga (10) scored, giving the Eagles a score of 36-38. With Basis gaining a few points, co-captain Om Tandon (11) scored a layup, bringing the score to 38-41. After Basis called a timeout, the Bobcats took off, gaining a lead of 47-40. Although Om scored in the following minutes, this was not enough to catch up to Basis, who gained a staggering lead of 56-45. With Harker struggling, the Eagles went into a timeout. With a minute left on the clock, Abhi scored a layup and Matthew Chen (12) scored two free throws. However, these final efforts were not enough to secure a win, ending in a 51-60 loss for the Eagles.
Kevin comments on the team’s performance and their shortcomings in comparison to the opposing team.
“We definitely thought we were the better team, but I think we should have come out harder from the start,” Kevin said. “We weren’t able to match their energy from the start and we weren’t able to adapt [and] adjust to how they played us on defense.”
With this being the team’s last match before the league games, Bowen Xia (10) looks forward to regaining the Eagle’s momentum next week in the league matches.
“I feel pretty confident going into league games,” Bowen said. “I think we’re gonna be really determined to win after this loss. Although we might not win every game, I think the competition will make us better and prepare us for CCS playoffs in February and March.”
The team defeated Crystal Springs Uplands at home on Tuesday, 59-47 for their first league game. The boys play again today against Woodside High School.
