Girls’ varsity basketball had their first game of the 23-24 season on November 28th, 2023. They had two more games that week on November 30th, and December 1st. The notable game of that week was on the 30th against Sahuaro’s age-old rival, Sabino. Any sports match against Sabino tends to be a big deal, and Carly Coolidge #10 said, “Since it’s Sabino you’re kind of hyped up, but you’re also nervous too because it’s a good crowd and everything, but we wanted it, we really wanted to win this one.” And win they did, this game was just as exciting as ever! 
The game started with a close first quarter, with both teams exchanging the lead – ending in Sabino’s favor at 11-10. The second quarter started to pick up, and by halftime, the Cougars had a 13-point lead at 29-16, holding Sabino to only five points in the second quarter. The third quarter kicked off and the Cougars didn’t look back, solidifying their lead with the third quarter ending at 49-24. The final score was 64-31, putting the Sabercats back into their litterbox, and carrying on with the Cougar reign. The Girls’ basketball team has been on a winning streak against Sabino since the 2020 – 2021 season, and there’s no stopping these fierce go-getters.
Sahuaro’s top scorers of the night were Cassie Coolidge #30 with 23 points, Kirsten Valdez #12 with 17 points, and Ny’Anza Brown #4 with 13 points. 
Cassandra “Cassie” Coolidge, the team captain, felt like they “played really well. I feel like there was a lot of tension there obviously because it’s Sabino and it’s our rivals. We both obviously wanted to win. I think other than that, we played really well. Even though our shots weren’t falling, I think we came together at the end, and I think our defense and our press kind of put it all together and we had a lot of energy, and our team was really hyped, so I think it went well.”
Cassie is a senior on the team and she feels that the team chemistry is working. Her goals for her last year are, “Obviously playing the best I can, but my team comes first, and I just want to make sure they’re playing to the best of their abilities. So, if they’re slacking off, I’m going to go tell them. We want to make a really far run, and I think we have a really good program to do that. We got a really great coach.” The girls will be playing in a tournament in California later in December, and for the playoffs, they want to get far.
The Sahuaro cheer team also debuted their brand-new uniforms that night. The cheer team hadn’t updated their uniforms in years and looked sharp in their new attire. Kenna Maddock, cheer captain, said the uniforms are “very modern compared to our old ones. The old ones are cute. They’re very classic cheerleader, but I think it was time for something modern, especially for basketball season.” She says her favorite part of the new uniforms is the sparkly paw print on the skirt. Miguel Marcial said he was “robbed” of the sparkly paw print on the uniform pants, but he thinks the uniforms are cute and said, “I do prefer the thinner material, but I like the older designs.“
The first week ended with a 3-0 win streak against Sahuarita, Sabino, and St. Mary’s, and the final scores for the Cougars were over 60 points. These girls are already showing what they’re capable of, and there’s no doubt that this year will be an entertaining season, especially since they are currently undefeated. Go Cougars!
