Tuesday night, Feb. 17, was Senior Night for the MacDonald Condors, and the varsity girls’ basketball game against rival Santa Clara Bruins featured plenty of positive signs for both rebuilding programs. Despite ending up winless during the league season, the Condors never quit on the season. The Condors’ trio of seniors, Tiani Buten, Talya Sayan and Jovana Bierman, finished their senior year with their heads held high. 

“We were a small team, and we were always the underdogs; we know that teamwork makes the dreamwork,” chimed Sayan postgame. “We know that after everything we went through, we all have each other. We’re a group that never gives up.” 

“I felt the competitiveness and the energy,” responded Bierman on a competitive first quarter that saw the teams tied at 9-9 after the opening eight minutes. “The main thing on my mind was going out as a team together, and to see we were neck and neck. It felt really wholesome because we were doing it together. It was really special too, since Santa Clara is our rival.” 

While the score would eventually get away from the Condors as the Bruins took control in the second half, it clearly didn’t deter the sense of camaraderie and accomplishment for MacDonald, making it through a tough season. 

“My dad always reminds me that in the real world, things aren’t always going to go to plan,” responded Buten on the tough season in the standings. “Because the school is new, we always have new things introduced. It has taught me how to adapt. I feel like I’ve gotten good at not being too stuck on one thing because I know things will change. That’s how the world works. Things change all the time, and I feel like the school has really helped me understand that.” 

Santa Clara, meanwhile, finished the league season with a 4-10 record. While seventh place is not much to write home about on the surface, look a little deeper, and there is a clear reason for optimism. The Bruins finished 3-4 over their final seven games after a 1-6 start. Two of the Bruins’ four victories came against teams that it had previously lost to earlier in the season.

On Jan. 30, Santa Clara beat rival Wilcox 42-28, avenging a 51-32 loss to the Chargers. Furthermore, the Bruins earned redemption over Lynbrook, beating them 40-36 on Feb. 4 after having fallen to the Falcons by a score of 42-38. 

In Santa Clara’s eventual 55-34 win on Tuesday, it was sophomore center Ria Swaminath and junior guard Victoria Calvillo leading the way on the scoresheet. Despite missing out on CCS playoffs, both Swaminath and Calvillo are excited by the team’s development from the beginning of the year to now. 

“Even though we didn’t have that many wins, I feel like our growth and our bonding on the court really helped us,” noted Swaminath. “And everyone on an individual level improving their skills really helped make a positive shift in our game and how we play.”

“I’m really proud of the group; our team has been really determined,” added Calvillo. “With how young our team is, we could have had a lot of doubt, but I’m really proud how we came together and understood each other’s roles and worked together as a team to perform much better now than in the first half of the season.” 

Santa Clara’s lone senior this year, Olivia Moreno, received immense praise from both Calvillo and Santa Clara Bruins Head Coach Deedee Kiyota after the game for leadership and doing all the dirty work. 

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