In its 47th year, the varsity girls basketball team faced several adjustments, beginning this season with a new head coach.
The team’s start in early December went well, winning its first four games by no small margins.
The number of underclassmen offer returning potential for the team. According to four-year returner senior Lexi Kurt, she is excited to see the team continue to evolve as she prepares for her final state appearance.
Freshman Mary Grant said she learned to play with a diverse age group when she started playing in high school.
“At first it was hard to adjust to playing with older girls that are taller than me,” Grant said.
According to Grant, practicing with the team helped fine tune her performance during the game.
“I think I’ve improved in just learning how to play against older girls and just being smarter and playing with the team,” Grant said.
According to Grant, the biggest obstacle the team had to overcome was the coaching changes at the opening of the season, but now the team is able to work together to overcome other challenges they face on the court.
“I think we’ve gotten a lot better at playing together and knowing each other’s strengths and weaknesses,” Grant said. “I think the goal for the rest of the season is to win state. I think it will be tough to win, but I think we can.”
Another returning player is senior Aliana Olson, who played her first season since freshman year on the varsity team.
Olson recalled how she felt more responsibility to the team as a senior.
“I try a lot harder … I kind of took it as a joke freshman year,” Olson said. “This year, I actually have to pay attention to everything that is going on.”
Despite this being Kevin Mulvany’s first year as head coach and a new set of players, the team’s dedication has brought it closer together and led to a record of 11-9 in the regular season.
“This season was a good year for the younger players on the team to grow,” Kurt said. “Leaving the people on the team makes me sad, but I am proud of my years on the team, and I know that the team will come back even better next year.”