Gallery|10 Photos

By Sarah Morgan

With the ball in hand, junior Courtney Carlson advances down the court. The Lady Jags fell 50-45 to the Pirates.

The girls basketball team lost to Piper 50-45 on Tuesday, Jan. 13, making its season record 2-5.

According to junior Courtney Carlson, the team started the game ready for its opponents. The Lady Jags started off strong and led the entire first quarter.

“Going into it, we knew it was going to be tough,” Carlson said. “They are undefeated, so we knew it was going to be tough.”

The first quarter ended 14-11, with the Jaguars in the lead. In the second quarter, however, Piper quickly took the lead.

“The beginning of the second quarter wasn’t our best, but I know we’re getting better,” freshman Claire Kaifes said. “Overall we did pretty good. We had some breakdowns here and there.”

Kaifes said the team became discouraged after Piper finished the half ahead 22-17. The Pirates held their small lead for the rest of the game.

“We could’ve beat this team, but I think we got it in our heads that they were better than us and that was our weakness,” Kaifes said. “We didn’t move the ball well enough and our hoop-side defense [was poor].”

After the team’s second loss in a row, Carlson said it was a learning experience and will make the team stronger.

“We played a lot better. Even though we lost, we made a lot of progress,” Carlson said. “We’ve had two losses in a row, but those were definitely two of the better teams we will play all year. As a team, we are definitely getting a lot better; the losses are making us better.”

The Lady Jags will play the Tonganoxie Chiefs away on Friday, Jan. 15.