This past weekend, Granada’s girls basketball team made it to the NCS championship for the first time in over 30 years. The team played at Dublin high school this past Saturday against reigning NCS champions Monte Vista. Finishing in second place, they are the first Granada girls’ basketball team to bring home a banner since 1993. 

Leading up to the finals, Granada defied all NCS expectations. Granada has qualified for NCS for the past three years, but was eliminated in the first round each time. This year, however, the team managed to put together a playoff run and earn their spot at the finals. 

NCS began with a home game against Castro Valley, a team Granada had beaten by 22 earlier in the season. NCS wasn’t much different, with Granada winning 61-41 and advancing to the second round for the first time in years. 

Next up was Cal High, and this game was personal for the team. The previous year, Granada played Cal High late in the season and lost 61-58. This year, during the regular season, Cal managed to gain a 24 point lead on Granada at half. Though Granada fought hard in the third and fourth quarters, the game ended in another hard loss with a final score of 54-46.

Point guard Jasmine Branda said, “Cal has always been a tough team to beat, and we knew that going into it. But I think we all really wanted to win, we all had some past issues with them, and I think that fight really helped us win.”

Needless to say, the team was eager to clinch a victory over the Grizzlies in NCS, and they did. On February 17, Granada beat Cal by 12 points and advanced to the third round. 

Round three for Granada, the seventh seed, would be against James Logan, the fifth seed, with the winner advancing to the championship. With a previous 9-point loss to Logan, the odds were, once again, stacked against Granada. To secure their spot in the finals, Granada rallied together to beat James Logan by 20. Granada was to play the first seed, Monte Vista, in the finals and, with a recent one point loss to the Mustangs two weeks prior, Granada was hungry for another chance to win.  

“I think what it will come down to who wants it more, and who came more prepared,” said captain Lexi Pletschette, “at this point, we know all their plays and they know all of ours, so all we can do is play our best.”

The loss to Monte Vista in the finals was a tough one, but the season is not yet over for Granada. Having placed second in the section, the team has qualified for state playoffs and will play at home against Clovis East this Tuesday. Regardless of how far they go in state, the 2022-23 Granada girls’ basketball team has put together a wildly successful post-season, and will undoubtedly be remembered within the program for years to come.