From October 2023 to January 2024, the Tigers fielded basketball, water polo, and soccer teams for another winter sports season. None of the Tigers’ three varsity teams made it to CIF playoffs, but through many challenges, each team finished the season off with something to celebrate.
Basketball: (6–12) Overall & (3–9) in League Play
After years of struggling, basketball has finally turned the corner. This season, they had a total of six wins, four more than last year! Starting the season strong, basketball won (35–22) over St. Genevieve School. The team was mostly led by a cohort of upperclassmen, including Captain Sarah K. ’24, who was the team’s leading scorer this season and averaged more than 15 points a game. Co-captains Jaedyn T. ’25 and Spyglass staff writer Ari E. ’25 were reliable defenders, relentlessly fighting until the last second. Lauren L. ’25 also proved herself as a valuable asset, especially with her offensive skills. They ended their season on a high with a comeback win against Mayfield Senior School (43–38), a team they lost to last year.
After being down in a strong first half by the Mayfield Cubs, Westridge rallied together and caught up, eventually surpassing Mayfield in the fourth quarter. Sarah K. had a whopping 24 points that game, 15 more than the next-best Tiger (Ari E. scored 9 points, and Lauren L. scored 6 points).
Losing their highest scorer, Sarah, will be detrimental to the Tigers next year, so it’s up to juniors Ari, Lauren, Jaedyn, and the rest of the returning team to make up for the difference.
Water Polo: (2–17) Overall & (0–10) in League Play
Despite going against tough teams in their league, water polo showcased perseverance and determination. Unfortunately, the Tigers suffered a devastating loss to their program this year, as Skye I. ’26, the star freshman player from the 2022–23 season, was sidelined the entire season due to a concussion. With her club water polo background, Skye was the consistent player the Tigers needed. Despite Skye’s absence, the team adapted and continued fighting in their games. Co-captain and stellar point player MG N. ’25 showcased remarkable ball distribution, complemented by co-captain Josephine W. ’26’s exceptional strength, agility, and accuracy as a standout center throughout the season.
MG, who played her third year of varsity water polo and second year as a captain, spoke about her thoughts on the season. “I’m happy with how we did,” she said. “It was honestly a really fun season, and that’s what I was looking for. It was good to get a couple of new freshmen on the team, and I think we did alright. We played a tournament at the end of the season, which was really fun, and that gave us a lot of experience that will help for next year.”
Because much of the team was composed of new players, a large focus of the season was bettering players’ individual skills. Goalie Sloan C. ’26 improved greatly and was a team leader during games, directing her teammates in the water. This year, water polo also had many new freshmen join the team. With so many new players, good teamwork was essential. Luckily, water polo did not struggle with this, as the team quickly bonded. Though the Tigers only won two games, they became stronger by working together and applying their coaches’ feedback.
Water polo will need to keep working hard over the summer, but with their level of progress and determination, they’re looking forward to next year!
Soccer: (3–10–3) Overall & (1–7–2) in League Play
Although soccer didn’t advance to CIF playoffs this year, which extends their long playoff drought for another year, the team, led by underclassmen, showed signs of life. They didn’t have as many wins as they did last season, but they worked hard as a team and ended the season on a high. Soccer started off the season strong with two wins: one against Village Christian (2–1) and another against Heritage Christian School (2–0). Notably, the Tigers only won one more game in the season against the Providence Pioneers (6–0). Despite difficult league play, the Tigers stepped up in their last game of the season and finished off with a tie against Polytechnic School (2–2). Just a few games before, the Tigers lost 6–2 to Polytechnic School, showing the Tigers’ improvement throughout the season. Showing significant growth from her freshman year, sophomore Esperanza O.C. was the dynamic and exciting forward the Tigers needed this season after losing six starting seniors last year.
With the loss of those six seniors, the Tigers needed to fill a large gap of talent, and the freshmen stepped up. An unprecedented seven freshmen made the varsity roster. Moreover, three freshmen proved themselves to be consistent starters: Danika V. ’27 as an electric forward, Abby L. ’27 as a steady midfield player, and Larkin M. ’27 as a strong defender.
The impact of the freshmen this year did not go unnoticed. “They all contributed in ways that were sort of beyond their freshman status,” Director of Athletics Coach Melanie Horn said. She continued, “The fact that they could come in and help and start on a varsity soccer team was amazing.”
Five of soccer’s seniors are leaving this year, but there is hope for future seasons. With new young stars and returning players contributing to the team, the future is looking very bright for soccer.
That’s a wrap on the 2023–2024 winter sports season! In typical Tiger fashion, each and every team worked extraordinarily hard and improved significantly. Now, onto the last sports chapter of the school year: spring sports!
