Sports

Girls Varsity Basketball Plays KSG Tournament

Erick Pena, Staff Writer

December 15, 2025

Girls basketball players in a huddle during a team timeout

Mills competed in the annual Kelly Shea-Gallo (KSG) Girls Basketball Tournament, which began on December 3rd and ended December 5th. There were a total of eight school teams competing including Mills. The other participating schools were El Camino, Sacred Heart Prep, Presentation, Mercy, Summit Shasta, Basis of Silicon Valley, and North Torrance High School.

The basketball tournament was named after Kelly Shea-Gallo. She was born on May 17, 1968 and was a coach for the Mills girls basketball team. The Mills girls basketball team that she coached advanced to CCS four years in a row and she was named the 2003 PAL Coach of the Year. Sadly, on May 3, 2004, she tragically passed away from cancer, but she made an immeasurable impact on her team and her community.

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Girls Varsity Head Coach Justin Matsu said that all the teams are going to be competitive but the teams that stand out are Sacred Heart and North Torrance. “They are all pretty good teams,” Matsu said. “But those two are definitely strong.”

The tournament spanned over three days in a bracket-style format. The teams that won went to the winners bracket and the teams that lost went to the losers bracket. Final placemat games were played on Friday, December 5th.

Matsu explained that his main goal for his team is for them to improve and have a good tournament run overall. “We just want to get better as a team and make sure that the tournament runs well and everyone has a good time,” Matsu explained.

Last year Mills made it to the championship game but fell just short of the win. This year the team is looking to learn, improve, and make another strong run.

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About the Contributors

Erick Pena, Staff Writer

Erick Pena is a freshman and his role in journalism is as a writer. He currently has no experience but he is eager to learn more about this particular topic. Erick joined under the impression that it was easy peasy but as he soon came to realize it was not but he is not one to complain. He has done nothing but he is open minded and ready to learn. He is excited to exceed in this class. He only really has one hobby which is going to the gym but that’s pretty much it.

Matthew Du, Sports Editor

Matthew Du is a sophomore entering his second year of journalism at the Thunderbolt. This year he takes on the role of a Sports Editor after being a staff writer in his freshman year. He is excited to guide and mentor this year’s incoming staff writers leading them to success. Matthew is a huge sports fan and loves watching the Warriors, Niners, and Giants. He loves photography and takes photos of Mills sports games. He is also a social media creator on Instagram and YouTube with over 100 followers. He likes to volunteer and help others when needed. His top 3 favorite movies are Lord of the Rings, Predator, and Avatar: The Last Air Bender animated.