Same basketball is courted by Culver

On Friday, Jan. 19, Samo girls Basketball took on Culver City High School in a cutthroat game. With screaming fans and both teams scoring exponentially in the eleventh hour, Samo’s second game of the season was one to remember. The game ended in a toss up, Samo losing to Culver, 40-55 .Starting off the week by playing Beverly Hills High School Wednesday night, and later taking on Culver, the Samo Girls Basketball team had a big week for rivalries. The game started off hand-in-hand, leads bouncing back and forth between Samo and Culver’s teams, with Culver leading the first half.However, Samo’s overall performance this season has been impressive considering the preseason they had. Many players were out on injury and are just now phasing back in during season.Newcomer to varsity, Nika Ghassemi (’19) suffered a severe concussion in December due to a hit in practice. She was “taking charge”; a move where one stands and takes a hit on defense, so that the referee can construe it an offensive foul. She took the hit too hard and since this wasn’t her first concussion, was out for two months.“It was really hard being out on my concussion because I felt like I was missing so much.  I was really nervous to come back, but when I did, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  It feels so good to be back playing with my team again!,” Ghassemi said.Her story is one of many among Samo athletes. Yet, she was out front and center throughout the game, defending and scoring for Samo.By halftime, Samo and Culver were virtually neck and neck. Culver was leading by three at the half, 22-25.Since this was a Friday game, as opposed to the usual Wednesday night, the North Gym was saturated with spirited Samo students. Heading into the second half, Samo went in for the kill and scored 10 points by the fourth quarter. With three minutes left in the game, the score was 35-44, favoring Culver. Both teams played ferociously. The ball was passed back and forth systematically, with both teams making every moment count until the buzzer rang.The game ended with Samo losing to Culver, 40-55. Although a loss, Samo stayed on Culver’s toes throughout and are optimistic for the rest of the season. “We’re looking forward to the rest of the season. Hopefully, Viking fans will [get to] see some quality basketball,” coach Douglas Kim said.