Experimenting with Chemistry

Story by Rupa Owen

Photo by Jonathan Schell

During the 2010-11 preseason, varsity girls basketball coach Kara Sandoval saw a shift in her team. The coaches noticed the players had been clashing. Sandoval vowed this year would be different. With five seniors leading the way, attitudes changed.

Senior Savanna Atherton, who was a captain along with fellow seniors Nyausha West and Kiara Redeau, set out to “make this season better than last.”

Starting the season with a clean slate, team members bonded fast. All the girls and the coaches saw a breakthrough after an exercise where teammates broke a wooden board with their hands. It brought a feeling of empowerment.

“It was a pretty impactful day for the girls to realize they could do anything,” Sandoval said.

Although the team started off with a loss to Glencoe in the West Linn Tip-Off Classic, the girls triumphed in a game against Barlow. Things were looking up.

“We all can play at an even level,” Atherton said. “There’s not only one group of key players.”

During a streak in which the Generals lost five of six games, three of the losses were blowouts. Sandoval struggled to find answers. Deciding she and her staff would try a different coaching tactic, they left decisions up to the players.

The goal was to get the team to work it out themselves.“We told them if they needed something they could ask us,” Sandoval said.

The strategy worked as Grant beat Vancouver’s Evergreen High School 32-28.

The team won again, beating Sunset 43-34, after previously losing to them earlier in the season. Facing the last regular-season game, Atherton said many players were “ready for the season to be over and not really looking forward to the game.”

The team’s biggest challenge was Central Catholic, one of the top-ranked teams in Oregon. Due to disciplinary action for an incident outside of school, senior Janae Stanley was forced to sit out the game.

Stanley remembers feeling disappointed that she couldn’t help the team. “I wanted to end with my team and I didn’t get to. I let them down,” she says.

The team tried to put Stanley’s benching aside. “It was a hard game; it felt good playing one of the top teams,” she recalls.

Grant would have to be on their A-game to measure up. “That comes with experience and confidence. You get done and you take your hats off to a better team,” said Sandoval.

Grant lost 87-32.

This was Sandoval’s last season as the coach. While it’s unclear who will step up the next season, the returning players are looking forward to the future.

Junior Myleah Musgrave believes the team needs someone who can build a successful program. She is hopeful for next season, “we have really good chemistry. I’m looking forward to playing with them.”

Season Stats:

Glencoe L 27-58
Barlow W 39-38
@ Wilsonville L 32-55
@ McNary L 38-60
@ Dallas L 27-44
Lincoln L 36-65
Crescent Valley L 41-55
Evergreen, (Wash.) W 32-28
Thurston W 51-38
@ Lakeridge L 56-65
@ Aloha W 48-44
Lake Oswego L 43-54
@ Sunset L 44-62
@ Beaverton L 24-69
@ Redmond W 57-47
Gresham W 56-35
Roosevelt W 72-46
Redmond L 31-47
@ Lincoln L 53-71
@ Wilson W 53-34
@ Sheldon L 32-72
@ Thurston L 50-53
South Eugene L 47-53
@ Sunset W 43-34
@ Central Catholic L 32-87