The Paly girls basketball team has spent all summer and fall practicing intensely for the upcoming season, where they look to continue their recent success as a team.

Last year, the team had an excellent season, finishing with an 11-1 league record. This earned them the DeAnza League championship as well as a spot in the Open Division of the CCS playoffs. In Open, the team won one of their three games, a very impressive feat as very few public schools make it to Open, let alone win a game. 

The team is led by seniors Itzel Torres (Second Team All-League last year) and Kaella Peters (last season’s League MVP). They will also get major contributions from sophomores Vienn Sheng (Second Team All-League last year) and Natalie Neumann, both returning starters.  

Longtime coach Scott Peters hopes the team is willing to make sacrifices for others. 

“The number one is to come together as a team which takes a lot of sacrifice,” Peters said.

The team has worked hard over the summer to become a more cohesive group. Peters believes the team could be great both offensively and defensively but it’s in the hands of the players to accomplish it. 

“For this team offensively, we have to be a little bit more patient in order to execute better in the offense, and defensively, we just have to get a little bit better in our defensive habits,” Peters said. 

The team prioritizes chemistry, and is constantly trying to maintain the great culture that Peters has established over his tenure as the head coach.

“Something really special about our team is how close we are. We’re constantly doing team bonding activities, even before the season has started,” guard Vienn Sheng (‘25) said. 

In terms of on court preparation, the team scheduled scrimmages against high end competition such as Saint Francis, Saint Ignatius, and Pinewood. 

“Scrimmaging against other teams before the season is very helpful since we can play against people who are unfamiliar with our offense and defense,” Sheng said. “We can practice the things we are struggling with, and then reflect and learn so we can get better.”

The Paly girls basketball team hopes to continue winning at a high level like they did last season, starting against Branham on December 3.