Paola Gonzales had not played basketball since middle school.
But when McCurdy needed players for a season, at the begging of friends, coaches and even the athletic director, Gonzales opted to give it a go for her junior year, and wound up in a starting role.
“I’m actually having so much fun,” Gonzales said. “I need to get used to it, but I’m having a lot of fun. I’m bonding with the girls a lot.”
Gonzales is one of the less experienced players giving their all for the Bobcats, who lost on Monday to Academy for Technology and the Classics (5-2) 51-14.
“I’m just telling them not to get discouraged,” coach Dennis Archuleta said. “Today, they really looked beat up.”
McCurdy played their first five games of the season in a six-day span, and now have a chance to get back to practice and improving.
“It’s all about spending time in the gym,” Archuleta said.
The Bobcats continue in search of a win, after winning two games last year and none the year before, but the team is confident that they will find wins this year.
“I think we’ll actually go far with our team,” Gonzales said. “There’s some stuff we need to work on, definitely. But other than that, I have a good feeling about this year.”
McCurdy struggled to find the basket early in the game, and went down 15-0 before scoring their first points in the second quarter on a long jumper by Alyssia Sandoval. They picked up significantly, scoring nine points before halftime, and keeping the deficit to 16 points. But the game got away from them further in the third quarter, with ATC making a 16-0 advantage in that quarter. Ultimately, ATC took the win by 37 points.
Amanda Tafoya had a good game starting for the Bobcats with six points, all coming in the second quarter. Gonzales scored three points in the fourth quarter.
McCurdy next plays at home against Native American Community Academy (0-1) on Saturday.
“They’re just a really good bunch of girls,” Archuleta said. “They’re willing to learn, they’re willing to work hard. They play hard and they never give up. And, regardless of what the score is or what the situation of the game is, they play to the end.”