Senior varsity basketball captains Tristan Aldridge and Averie Farrell promised each other that they would both score 1,000 points by the end of their season. As Aldridge assisted Farrell in scoring her thousandth point, both girls could not contain their excitement upon discovering they had individually reached their goal. It was an achievement that bonded them in a way only the two of them could share.

The team finished the district season undefeated for the first time in 10 years.

Head coach Kelly Dansby said she had immense pride in her girls for stepping up to the challenge and having a 12-0 season.

“I tell the girls all the time, you want to set a goal and you want to meet the goal and you want to exceed the goal,” Dansby said. “So I felt like we did that this year.”

Sophomore varsity basketball player Maggie Monroe said the players have devoted much time to preparing for the season and she feels their success could be attributed to how hard they worked in practice.

“We really put so much work and effort into every practice and our coaches really drilled into us that every practice we have to put our everything into,” Monroe said.

Coach Dansby said the three captains, Averie Farrell, Tristan Aldridge, and Mikayla Carr, were what kept them pushing forward because of their charisma and leadership.

“They not only led by example on the court, they did it in the classroom by keeping their grades up and just were good role models all the way through,” Dansby said.

Aldridge said the team being much younger this year caused some challenges like physical disadvantages and a lack of experience, but eventually, it strengthened the team even more.

“It was kind of hard in the beginning, but we bonded really quickly,” Aldridge said. “And the team chemistry became even better.”

The team bond extended off the court as well. Freshman varsity basketball player Helen Teeple said the team found ways to keep connections strong.

“We did a lot of team dinners and it was super fun and overall a very enjoyable experience,” Teeple said.

This year’s season has only spurred the underclassmen girls to try to make it farther next year and make their seniors proud.

“It makes me feel really excited, really proud of my team and what we’ve accomplished and just excited for next season and to work even harder,” Monroe said.