![“[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 suffered a 52-75 defeat against King’s Academy on Feb. 18 in the Zhang Gymnasium.
Power forward Rohit Yalla (12) won the tip-off, but 30 seconds into the quarter, the Eagles fouled a King’s Academy player. The two resulting free throws upped the score in the Knight’s favor. Harker quickly bounced back, with shooting guard Advay Monga (12) rebounding his own shot and scoring a layup, tying the score 2-2.
Both teams picked up the aggression with four minutes on the clock, trading fouls and interceptions as they battled to pull ahead. Rohit and Advay consistently rebounded the ball, allowing point guard Bowen Xia (12) and shooting guard Caden Ruan (11) to take shots and drive up the court, resulting in a 17-13 lead for the Eagles at the end of the first quarter.
One minute into the second quarter, the Knights capitalized on gaps within the Eagles’ defense by quickly rebounding and effectively utilizing set pieces to tie the game 17-17. Harker struggled to successfully guard the Knights and conceded six points. After a string of fouls from Harker that gave five points to the Knights, power forward Vyom Vidyarthi (12) scored a free throw to end the half 26-32.
“Our team played very competitively and with a lot of heart,” Head of School Brain Yager said. “Even though they were outsized, they kept trying and trying. They should be proud of themselves.”
Harker opened the third quarter with Advay immediately scoring a three-pointer. The Knights proceeded on a nine-point run, capturing rebounds and pulling farther ahead to 29-41. Despite the Knights’ strong defense and frequent rebounds, the Eagles managed to deliver on some offensive opportunities, scoring three three-pointers and ending the quarter 45-54.
“We need to work on beating the zone [defense] because the teams we face in the playoff opener play a lot of zone, and we tend to struggle a little bit more when facing a zone,” Rohit said. “So the focus of our practices lately have been practicing against a zone defense.”
King’s Academy continued to rack up points with layups and free throws while smothering Harker’s offense. The Eagles fouled a Kings player three and a half minutes into the game, resulting in two free throws for the Knights that widened the score gap 69-49. In a final attempt to bridge the gap, shooting guard Alan Gao (11) made a three-pointer, ending the game 52-75.
“It’s one of the better games that we’ve played even though the score didn’t show,” varsity boys basketball head coach Alfredo Alves said. “King’s Academy is the number one team in the league. For us to be able to compete tonight and to be up with them in the first three quarters was a huge accomplishment for us. we showed everyone on the team that we can compete and we can play against the team with our caliber.”
Varsity boys basketball holds a league record of 5-5 and closed the season during their second round Central Coast Section playoff game against Menlo High School on Saturday.
