Lady Eagles fall to Central Valley Christian

Varsity girls basketball hosted the CIF Central Section Division V playoff game in the FC Gym, Feb. 21. The Eagles battled Central Valley Christian, losing the game 57-42. Although their season is over, the team made significant improvements throughout the year.

Underclassman Kayla Vanderlinden, ‘20, says goodbye to her senior teammates. Despite the loss, she enjoyed the season with her team.

“I’m sad that basketball is over because I really loved the team and how far we came, but you can’t win every game,” Vanderlinden said. “I feel like we have improved so much over the season and we will continue to keep growing. I plan to play all four years of high school and I love how close the basketball team is and how we feel safe around each other. I will miss the seniors the most because I feel like they really led our team physically and spiritually. They are great leaders.”

This marks the first time the FC girls basketball team has hosted a playoff game since 2011. Mike Zamarippa coaches alongside Head Coach Robert Foshee and recognizes the growth the team has undergone over the year.

“I thought the girls played really hard and fought until the end,” Zamarippa said. “Unfortunately we got in foul trouble early and couldn’t overcome it. I think we had an amazing season. Our first year coaching we had four wins, last year we had seven and this year we had 16. It was a huge accomplishment. I’m most proud of how they treat each other like family. They have grown so much as a team and I couldn’t be more proud. I will definitely miss our seniors Erin and Tali next year.”

After three years, Senior Erin Wilson competed in her last high school game. Wilson feels grateful for the memories created with her teammates and coaches.

“I’m definitely really sad that the season is over, but I’m excited about all the ways we’ve improved this season and all of the hard work we’ve put into it,” Wilson said. “Last season we probably had four or five wins, and this year we maybe had 17 or 18 so we flipped our record which was really exciting. I’m really going to miss the team. I can go out and play basketball whenever I want but the community and the girls is what I’ll miss most.”

The ladies placed as the No. 8 seed in their division and finished with a 16-6 overall record. Congratulations Eagles!

The Feather’s twitter account kept students who could not attend the game updated with scores. The Feather also posts updates on other social media sites as well, such as Instagram.

Central Valley Christian defeats FC, 57-42, ending the Eagles season, Feb. 21. The ladies finished with a 16-6 record. @fresnochristian #thefeather @PAGMETER pic.twitter.com/MYSUgh0gHx

— The Feather Online (@thefeather) February 22, 2018

For more articles, read: COLUMN: Journalism builds professionalism, student portfolios and Seniors reminisce ten years of friendship 

Cathryn Vander Kooi can be reached via email and Twitter.