M-A’s Luisa Tava goes on 3 spree in Division I quarterfinals

With a game-high 27 points, all of Tava’s scoring was generated by 3-point shots. She made nine 3s in the game.

Tava — now a team captain alongside senior Molly Gray — is a transfer from Pinewood in Los Altos, where she played varsity basketball as a freshman. She transferred to M-A as a sophomore in October 2023, immediately joining the varsity team.

“When I transferred, people already knew who I was, so I was on the team right away,” Tava said.

She already knew many of her teammates from middle school.

“It was a pretty smooth transition because I knew a bunch of the kids already, so I didn’t feel out of place,” Tava said.

Some of those teammates also scored in double figures in the win over Cupertino (18-8). Tava made two early 3s. With the game tied 10-10, senior center Apé Ulukivaiola scored a 2-pointer to start a 9-0 M-A run. The Bears led the rest of the way. Ulukivaiola finished with 13 points. Freshman Bella Gormsen added 10 points.

Change in school, change in styles

Despite a smooth social transition into her new school and team at M-A, Tava said she found adjusting to the difference in play style during games and practices challenging.

“At my old school, we played at a faster pace, it was just go, go, go,” she said. “But here, we think about what we do before we do it and take our time more during games.”

Tava’s basketball career started in middle school. Her dad grew up playing basketball and football, inspiring her to try out for the Hillview Middle School team. Her interest was solidified when she saw her friends joining.

“I had a pretty late start, because most people start when they’re super young, like 5 or 6 years old, but I got the hang of it pretty quickly,” Tava said.

Before playing basketball, she dabbled in tennis and soccer, but they didn’t stick. Despite her late start, Tava quickly adjusted.

“It took a lot of hours of training, but I definitely caught up to where everyone was,” Tava said.

M-A advances to CCS semifinals

M-A now advances to Thursday’s CCS semifinal round. The Bears will host No. 4 Los Altos at 7 p.m. The two teams last met in 2023-24 with the Eagles winning 45-42 in a non-league regular-season matchup.

Los Altos won its CCS quarterfinal Tuesday 56-37 over No. 5 Salinas.

Ivy Watrous is a high school junior and a staff writer for the M-A Chronicle. You can read her full article “Luisa Tava’s Impressive Journey Through the Hoops” that ran as the bi-weekly column Sporty Seniors at machroncle.com.