Girls basketball (18-10) won senior night 70-29 against Laguna Beach High on Jan. 30. Captain, shooting guard and senior Kara Niho reclaimed the school record for 3-pointers with 11 in a single game, tying with 2025 alumna Kira Watanabe.
The Bulldogs lost the tipoff, but reclaimed possession of the ball quickly after multiple fouls by the Breakers in the first 30 seconds of the first quarter. The Bulldogs fought against the Breakers’ strong defense, as captain, point guard and senior Maddy Nguyen allowed for Niho to be open for clean 3-pointers. Playing together ever since they were kids, Niho and Nguyen’s strong bond has led to their success in games throughout the years.
“When I first heard Maddy was transferring from Crean [Lutheran High] in our junior year, it was actually the best news ever,” Niho said. “We started playing together in third grade for OCO Basketball. So being able to play with her for almost 10 years now, it feels really good. And to end our last game together, it’s really emotional.”
The second quarter relied on captain, center and senior Amelia Booth as she was able to steal the ball leading to a live-ball turnover, widening the score between the Bulldogs and the Breakers during the second half to 52-14.
“[Booth] is anticipating, not reacting,” head coach Brian Barham said. “She’s jumping passes, and we credit a lot of that to her time in flag football here at Portola, because without flag, she would not have been able to read some of those passes.”
The game slowed down for the last two quarters with Niho scoring 15 of the 36 total points she made during the game. Niho earned her 1000 career point milestone the following day during the Bulldogs’ game against Warren High, making the weekend more memorable.
“We knew beforehand that the stage was set for something magical,” Barham said. “We had a nice crowd, and we saw it right when we walked in. I’m glad that the basketball gods honored us with that performance as well.”
As the last league home game, the game ended in a bittersweet moment for the seniors, as Booth achieved the school record for most steals in a single season at 130. Knowing that this may be one of the last times the team may play together made the game all the more sentimental for the graduating seniors.
“It’s gonna be really sad walking away, but at the same time, it was really cool, just like seeing Kara hit all her ‘threes,’” Booth said. “Just knowing that this is my senior class, and being with them for four years, we watched each one of us grow up together.”
