Sage Hill Girls’ Basketball bested St. Margaret’s to win the 2024-25 Pacific Coast League Championship in a home game on Tuesday.

The Lightning’s triumph over the Tartans on Seniors’ Night set their season record at 19-8.

Girls’ Basketball successfully bounced back from a 55-65 loss to Rialto on Feb. 1. This loss ended the team’s monstrous 10-game winning streak. One aspect of the game that the team has excelled at is their lockdown defense. The team’s defense is so great, not only because of the excellent individual defenders but because of the team’s cohesiveness.

“We are helping each other when we get beat,” Assistant Coach Megan Hanson said.

The team also has a principle called “help the helper,” where a player will cover a player, that in turn is covering another player. This concept shows how coherent the team is on defense.

After the team’s impressive 10-game winning streak to start the season, Hanson said it is imperative “to maintain our intensity, mental toughness, and hard work as we approach playoffs.”

One way the team pushes the intensity during training is to play games or keep score, maintaining a competitive cadence. Specifically in training, the team looks to further improve their lock down defense, as well as rebounding and shooting.

Freshman Leah O’Toner notices how the team is working better together.

“Our chemistry has only increased since the start of the season,” Leah said. “We’ve grown to love playing with each other.”

The increased selflessness of players as well as their trust in teammates, has created a more balanced attack. Each match, there are multiple players who can have big nights.

“We are a strong team and are coming together at the right time,” Leah said.

As the team enters CIF playoffs on Feb. 13, the team will look to maintain their strong work ethic and take confidence from their 10-match winning streak. CIF is slated to post brackets for all winter sport playoffs on Saturday.