On December 13, the Centreville Wildcats’ Girls Varsity Basketball team faced off against the Battlefield Bobcats. The Wildcats, coached by PJ Clark, were prepared and determined to defeat the Bobcats. “After a week of preparation we are ready to play against the Bobcats,” says Junior starter Kaya Squirewell before the game. Coach Clark, who is in her second year of coaching the girls varsity basketball program, has yet to coach against the Bobcats. 

In the first half of the riveting game, both teams played aggressive and hard right from the start. The Wildcats and Bobcats offenses were on fire the whole game, starting in the first quarter, which ended with the Bobcats out on top 13-11. Down by two to start the second quarter, the Wildcats fought back strong, taking the lead to end the first half with a score of 27-19. The leading scorer for the Bobcats was senior guard, Kat Jenks, who finished with 13 points at the end of the first half. The Wildcats leading scorer for the first half was freshman guard Ryleigh Thurston. 

Going into the second half, the Wildcats tried to keep up the momentum. The Bobcats, after a halftime pep talk, came out motivated to take back the lead. After Kat Jenks made a few key shots, it gave her and her team an energy boost to stay in the game. The third quarter ended with the Wildcats up only by five points, with the score being 45-40.

The fourth quarter was very exciting, with both teams motivated to come out on top. It was a nail biter and kept the crowd on the edge of their seats. The game would come down to the final minute with the Centreville Wildcats capping off with a win. “I was a bit anxious towards the end of the game but I love how we finished as a team,” says Senior leader Jada Squirewell, after hitting two late game free throws. Kat Jenks lead the Bobcats in points with a total of 23. Kaya Squirewell lead the Wildcats to their win, scoring a total of 24 points. Although the Battlefield Bobcats lost, they played a well fought game, shooting 67 percent from the free throw line and a total of ten steals. Both teams played a well fought game.