Delhi High’s Monday night game against the girls of Big Valley Christian High was a chance for the Hawks to recover from four straight losses and a less than stellar showing at the Le Grand Tournament.

Delhi did just that from the tip-off, displaying a defense with an eye for the ball and the propensity for takeaways. With senior Alicia Knight patrolling the court and junior Cynthia Aguilera working the boards, Delhi outscored the Lions 13-10 in the first half. Unfortunately, Delhi’s recovery didn’t extend into the second quarter. Instead the Hawks succumbed to a recurring theme and were only able to score four points before halftime.

“The second quarter has been one of our downfalls, for whatever reason. That’s our Achilles heel, the second quarter,” Delhi’s head coach Demetrio Quintrero explained. “We have a tendency to force shots and add to our dilemma.”

Delhi bounced back in the third quarter as the combo of Aguilera (13 rebounds, 10 points) and freshman Lizette Castorena (8 rebounds), who respectively led the State and Section in rebounds, kept their defense relevant and Big Valley Christian on its toes. But just like in the Le Grand Tournament, the Hawks were unable to fully recover from their second quarter slump and were handed a 52-37 loss.

“Great teams shoot their way out of great slumps. We still need to work on some kinks with our offense and focus on getting the ball up and getting it in,” Quintrero said. “But all of the girls should be proud of themselves because if you compare this team to years past, it’s a total 360.”