After a 12-0 league record last year, junior point and shooting guard Carly Martin said she has high hopes for the girls varsity basketball team this season, despite the inevitable challenge of filling the void of graduated seniors.
“We are kind of a young team — we have a lot of freshmen,” Martin said. “I think our main goal is trying to bond together and figure out how to work as a team.”
Freshman point guard Kaella Peters agrees, but said the challenge of not having any seniors on the team is a blessing in disguise, allowing every player to grow and take responsibilities.
“We don’t have any seniors this year, so next year the team is going to be mostly the same,” Kaella said. “It is a little different than the past few seasons … there’s not one obvious person to look to, so we all need to step up together and all be leaders together.”
Martin said the team has hit the ground running, with daily practices focusing on team chemistry through learning to adapt to each other’s playing styles.
“I love all the girls. I think we have great chemistry so far,” Martin said. “And it can only get better from there.”
Another freshman and point guard on the team, Delaney Ball said she is looking forward to getting closer with her teammates and finding her place on the team.
“(High school basketball) is kind of fun because you get to see how you have grown since your freshman year to your junior year, and how each player got better,” Ball said. “Also you are gonna have different roles as a freshman — you are just learning, you are just figuring out what’s happening. You are looking up to the older kids on the team like juniors and seniors and then when you get older, you’re going to be able to take that their position and help the younger kids on your team.”
Martin said she is optimistic for the coming season, and said the new additions to the team will be beneficial, despite the fact that they are primarily underclassmen.
“We have Kaella (Peters), who is a freshman and our starting point guard — she is awesome,” Martin said. “She is great with the ball. Delaney (Ball) is a great defender, so she is great to have. I think overall, the freshman class is really strong.”
In addition to working on team chemistry, Coach Scott Peters said the team has been trying out new tactics in hopes that it will help them achieve their league goals.
“We are working hard, and we’re doing a new offensive system,” Scott said. “It is a little bit slow right now, but we think it’s going to pay off through hard work … Our number one goal is to develop a close knit team that supports each other — that is our goal every year.”
