The day before the Kent girls varsity basketball game vs. Taft, captain Lily Steigleman ’16 said, “I’m nervous for the game.  Not because I think we will lose, but because I know it’s going to be a close game that will take everything we have.”

The closeness of the game justified this anxiety. Each point was hard fought and well deserved.  Both teams’ defenses put forth their best efforts and this was evident on the scoreboard as the first half was noticeably low scoring, with Kent trailing Taft 12-14.

A few minutes into the second half, Kent found their first lead of the game,  22-21.  This lead was lost and then won back and lost again over the course of the next 11 minutes left in the game.  With 8 minutes left, the girls were down 25-27, but they never lost their focus.  At 2:30 left, Kent lead 35-34, but Taft responded swiftly with a quick 3 pointer from their star shooting guard.  However, only seconds later, point guard Sarah Gavin ’19 was able to assist with a crucial 3-pointer, putting Kent up, once again, by one point.

In this last 30 seconds of the thriller, Taft scored two points, giving them a one-point lead that would hold until the final buzzer.  Although the loss was tough, the team refuses to lose focus.   The girls have only intensified their commitment after the close loss. Point guard Megan Landrigan ’17 said, “I don’t expect us to roll over, but rather I’m hoping everyone gets pumped up about the rest of the season.”