On Dec. 9, the girl’s basketball team faced off against Keystone at home. Although the girls lost 50-39, the team displayed dedication and hard work throughout each period. They stayed competitive, working together on each end of the court. As the game progressed, the girls improved in each of their plays, but there’s always room for growth. While the outcome was not in their favor, the players never strayed from demonstrating resilience and continuing to grow for future success.
“Defensively, we need to be more aggressive the entire game,” Coach Work said. “We show spurts of in-your-face D, and will continue to emphasize that. Offensively, we took some really good shots and moved the ball well. The ball didn’t fall enough for us, but it wasn’t for lack of trying.”
“We had a lot of ball movement, but it wasn’t consistent throughout the game,” Charleigh Doxley said.
The girls continued to put forth their best efforts on the court. Even if they did not win, each player worked to the best of their ability. They remain committed to improving and supporting each other regardless of the game’s outcome.
“I felt good,” Addie Garrett said. “I feel like we could have played better as a team. Collectively, we all have a lot of improvements to make, but we played well together.”
“Our defense and rebounding was good, Ari was doing well on rebounding,” Oliva Andregg said.
“The most challenging part was getting our defense under control, keeping our passes strong, and making sure we don’t turn the ball over,” Garrett said.
Each time the girls step onto the court, it is a chance for them to continue to build on their progress and improve. As they work together through challenges, building their determination, the girls strive to perform to the best of their ability and reach further success.
“Every time we step on the court, we want to give 100% effort, and we will continue to focus on that,” Coach Work said. “We are young for a varsity team, and we grow each game.
“We are focused on playing together, talking more on defense, and just communicating on the court,” Garrett said.
As the girls work on their skills, they also recognize the importance of maintaining a strong mentality throughout the game.
“It’s more of a mental thing, you have to tell yourself when you get tired to keep going, you’ll get a sub, you’ll get a break,” Doxley said. “Just push through.”
They continued to push through each minute of the game, staying focused and setting their mind on one goal, even when it got tough. Not only do the girls focus on themselves individually, they lift their teammates around them, working together to overcome obstacles.
“Lift your teammates, we are huge on high fives,” Andregg said.
While the girls continue to keep their individual mental up, along with supporting the rest of the team, they also take time to focus on preserving their physical well-being after playing in a challenging game to make sure they are physically prepared to play in the oncoming games and practices.
“After the game, I am feeling sore,” Doxley said.
Due to the high intensity of basketball, soreness is inevitable. Keeping up with your physical health after playing is an integral part of basketball.
After playing against Keystone, the girls take time to reflect and recover both as a team and individually, preparing for their next game against Buckeye High School here at home on Dec. 14. These days offer an opportunity to evaluate what went wrong and use the past game as a learning experience to grow.
“We continue to improve, but need to put four quarters of play together,” Coach Work said.
Every day, the girls stay committed to enhancing their skills, staying physically and mentally prepared, and continuing to build teamwork.
