![“[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 earned a 60-24 victory over Sobrato High School on Jan. 4 in the Zhang Gymnasium.
Harker lost the tip-off but jumped to an early 7-3 lead, causing Sobrato to call a timeout. Center Emily Mitnick (12) scored back-to-back two-point shots from the right block, maintaining the Eagles’ momentum at 11-3. Passes and steals from guard Isabella Lo (12) and more layups from Emily brought the score to 17-3, which prompted another Bulldogs timeout. After converting several Bulldog turnovers, the Eagles finished the quarter in the lead 19-6.
Sobrato scored the first points of the second quarter with a free throw and layup, bringing the score to 9-19. Guard Jillian Chen (9) sank a deep jumper followed by a subsequent layup to push the Eagles forward 24-9. After guard Selena Chen (11)’s steal, guard Claire Yu (11) scored a jumper to put the Eagles at 31-9. As Harker continued running an offensive play, guard Alicia Yan (11) shot a three-pointer from the right corner, closing out the first half 34-11.
The Eagles’ defense technique of applying pressure from two defenders at half court reduced the quality and quantity of the Bulldogs’ offensive possessions.
“Our man defense, which we did in the first half, was really good because we focused a lot on trapping, and all of us were in the same mindset,” Alicia said. “Then we made an adjustment in the second half to try something different, to practice our 2-3 [defense]. For both of them, the benefit of it was that we had a lot of pressure.”
Spectator Sofe Jalil (9) highlighted the strong bonds between the team members and how that impacted their performance in the game.
“Their team effort was definitely more noticeable compared to the other team,” Sofe said. “They had more of a connection where if they said something, others listened.”
“We did a really good job pushing the ball and hitting our post,” Jillian said. “Getting out in transition was a big thing for us. We’ll keep that energy going into the rest of our games and hopefully this is our year.”
The team currently holds an overall 10-1 record and plays Notre Dame San Jose at home tomorrow.
