The New Trier Girls Basketball team has taken off running with their recent wins at the Dundee-Crown tournament, beating every team that competed there. This was the fourth time that New Trier has won the tournament.
New Trier started the season strongly, with a 14-3 winning streak. However, the team hit rocky ground
with a tournament in Arizona. Prior to the tournament, the girls had beaten several conference teams, including Niles West and Waukegan.
New Trier went into the tournament confident, but came out feeling unsure about their national ranking. Head Coach Teri Rodgers said this was a learning experience for the girls, teaching them what they need to do to better prepare themselves for the next game.
“We didn’t win, but we learned a ton of stuff there,” Rodgers said. After coming back from beating Evanston by 14 points, they were worried about how they would be able to come back and win again after Arizona. One of the key players, Haley Greer, was not at the tournament due to an injury. This hampered on the team’s ability in the tournament. She is one of their starters and the whole team agrees that it was hard to play without her. They’re confident that when they get her back, they will be back on a winning streak again. “She definitely is a key player for our team, but once we get her back we will be stronger than ever,” says junior Katy Symantz.
Not having Haley Greer at the most recent games has been an inconvenience, but it hasn’t made the team’s games impossible to win. The girls played four different teams in the Dundee tournament. Two of the biggest wins were against Dundee by 17 points and Crystal Lake South by 29.
After coming back from their losing streak in Arizona, the team has their energy back and are ready for the rest of the season. Symantz feels that these past few wins were important for the team’s spirit. “Coming back home to rebound and to win the tournament for only the fourth time in New Trier history was really meaningful and important for our team,” Symantz said.
Before the Arizona tournament, the team beat the Evanston Wildkits by 14 points. “Rivalry games are the most fun because it gives you an opportunity to beat a school that thinks they’re better than you,” junior Margaret Hughes said about playing Evanston.
Rivalry games are always intense, and the next one will be the Evanston double header. This game will be on February 5th, and the team has expectations of an exciting playoff with a close game. Another big rival game that is coming up is a tournament against Meris, a very talented team.
Rodgers has been training the girls to defend their title as an amazing team. “Obviously all of our conference games are big. We’re 5-0 in conference, and one of our goals is to win at conference,” Rodgers said.
She selected her team based on a week of grueling tryouts, testing each player for both physical and mental ability. She has been preparing her squad with intense practices and hard workouts.
The girls basketball team has several games lined up, but there are a few that New Trier students should be sure to go see. “I would say games against Evanston and Glenbrook South,” Hughes said.
This season has a lot more in store for the girls basketball team, with no doubt many more wins to come.