The varsity basketball team played hard in their first round of CIF against Fountain Valley High School on Feb. 18, wining with a score of 44 to 33.
Fountain Valley Barons and Vikings were neck and neck in the first quarter. Downey gained the upper hand in the second quarter with a three-pointer from Garrett Neilan. The Barons were down by 10 points at the end of the first half of the game. Neilan believes the win was because of how close a bond the team has gotten and how hard they practice.
“Due to all the practices we have afterschool and during 5th period, we learned how to work hard together and we came together as a family,” Neilan said. “ We worked towards the same goal and in the end it paid off.”
Forward Dallas Lopez kept energy running through the team during the game. He scored 11 points playing both defense and rebound. Lopez recalls most of the energy he had was because of how well the team was playing together.
“We played hard,” Lopez said. “We defended well and took the opportunities we saw to shoot.”
The team had a successful season closing with 26 wins and three losses. Coach Shelton thinks that this was one of basketball’s most successful seasons especially for the defensive line.
“Our team played very well together. I have had teams in the past that were better offensive teams, but this team played well together and emphasized defense,” Shelton said. “The fact that they committed to a defense first attitude was the main reason for their success. They made the most out of their ability.”
Unfortunately, the Vikings lost in the quarterfinals to Redland East Valley High School: 71-54. It still remains the best defensive season and is expected to be even better next year.