The Girls Basketball team kick-started their season with an early bump in the road as they lost 61-68  against New Prairie. The loss came with many fixable mistakes and left the team optimistic about their future. Optimism is important in these times of increasing cases of Covid-19, and the possibility of having a season up in the air. 

 Two varsity players and head coach Scott Franceour were sidelined due to contact-tracing just prior to the season opener. This adversity coupled with the typical first game mistakes meant the team didn’t quite get the job done on Thursday night. Asking one of the varsity members about their hardships in the past two weeks she responded, “Not having Kelly and Coach Scott was definitely a challenge, but these sort of challenges are what allows our team to grow. I have full faith that our team will be better because of this experience and bounce back strong.” In retrospect, the team knows their focus will need to be on their defense this week because of their defensive mistakes in game one. The poor defense in their game consequently led to their loss against New Prairie. On a more positive note, the players were mostly satisfied with their offensive performance, putting up 61 points without one of their key starters. Sarah Hiestand scored 25 points and Peyton Hull followed with 10 points for the night. The players expressed that their game was a good learning experience for the team and they are confident that they will be better because of it. 

With Clay coming into Alumni Gym on Tuesday, November 17th, the girls are hungry for a win. Fully aware of what they need to work on, they hope to defend their home court against the solid Clay team. They are hoping they can combine their good offense from Thursday night with a solid defensive performance so they can put it all together for a win. With the uncertainty of Covid-19, the girls are grateful for every time they step on the court. For the three seniors, Sarah Hiestand, Mia Naman, and Hannha Tyler, they are ready to win their first game of the season knowing every game is special not only as a senior, but in these times of uncertainty. Good luck to the girls as they bounce back from their loss to New Prairie!