![“[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)
The varsity girls basketball team crushed Notre Dame San Jose 55-34 in their home opener on Nov. 21.
Center Sanika Das (9) won the tip off for the Eagles, but the Notre Dame Regents quickly regained possession of the ball, scoring the first two shots. After a missed shot from co-captain Isabella Lo (11), small forward Finley Ho (9) grabbed the rebound and scored. Co-captain Claire Miao (12) helped the Eagles gain a 5-4 lead, scored a basket and then converted an and one. Claire M. continued to put points on the board with two more free throws and a layup to end the quarter at 11-6.
“We have been doing a lot of practice cleaning up our plays and building our defense, and I thought that really showed,” Claire M. said. “Everything we practiced throughout the season really translated over to the game today, and I really liked how we brought the energy.”
Harker started the second quarter with possession of the ball, and Claire M. quickly scored a 3-pointer off a pass from center Emily Mitnick (11). The Eagles continued to push ahead with two 3-pointers from Claire M. and Claire Yu (10). The Regents scored a 3-pointer, followed closely by a third 3-pointer from Claire M. Immediately after Claire M.’s shot at 23-11, Notre Dame called a timeout.
Harker continued to dominate the match, with Claire M. made a shot from a rebound and Isha Kotalwar (12) and Selena Chen (9) making layups. At the end of the quarter, the Regents scored one last shot to end the first half of the game 30-21. Selena was proud to hold her own during the game and reflected on her experience playing in the opener.
“I was really scared at first, and then as I started playing, I realized [playing] wasn’t that bad,” Selena said. “I just treated it like any game I would have played outside.”
Notre Dame made the first shot of the third quarter, but Harker quickly gained momentum. Finley scored a basket, followed by a successful layup from Isabella and a 3-pointer from Claire M., to bring the score to 37-33. Claire Y. made both free throws after getting fouled by Notre Dame on a shot attempt. The Eagles played strong through the end of the quarter, ending with Isabella’s steal and layup to maintain a lead of 41-25.
Harker continued their lead in the start of the fourth quarter despite committing a foul early on. Claire M. executed a successful steal and layup extending the score to 43-31 with around five minutes left in the quarter. Claire Y. also made a layup, followed by an assist from Claire M. to Emily for another layup. Selena scored with around two minutes left in the quarter, boosting the score to 49-31. The Regents fouled Isabella, and she scored her two free throws. In the packed final two minutes, Claire Y. scored a layup, and Notre Dame made a 3-pointer. Emily then secured the game for the Eagles 55-34 in the last 15 seconds with a shot.
Former varsity girls basketball team member Annmaria Antony (23’) watched the game and enjoyed returning to see her teammates.
“I was on the team last year, and we thought it would be fun to come back and support them for their season opener,” Annmaria said. “I think they played really well, and we were cheering them on the whole time.”
With the team’s win against North Salinas High School on Saturday, the team’s current record stands at 3-0.
