With each clang of the rim, each grunt from a fall, each shot made that wasn’t theirs, it might have been easy for these girls to give up. And yet, they finished a difficult season in spite of their challenges both on and off court.

Girls varsity basketball recently ended their season with a 76-43 loss on Feb. 17 with their regionals against Maine South High School.

“In general, it was a difficult game. We had lost to Maine South twice heading into the game, so we knew we were going to have to play really well in order to win in this third matchup,” said Varsity Assistant Coach Eric Duffett.

The overall season wasn’t easy, especially due to the fact that many players fell sick from Covid.

“Over winter break, 9 of our players tested positive from Covid. Our team got shut-down for two weeks, no games and no practices during winter break, in which we were supposed to play in two individual tournaments for around 8 games total,” said senior Aimee Hong.

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These 8 games ended up getting canceled. On the heels of those cancellations, the team endured a nine game losing streak in the month of January.

Weeks before regionals, the team had to bear some difficult health issues from two members of the team. 

“We got some difficult news towards the end of the season that one member on our team had been newly diagnosed with a form of bone cancer,” said Hong. “Then the week after our season officially ended, we received more heartbreaking news that my former coach had developed a brain tumor and required immediate surgery. He’s now safely recovering at home.”

To show support for their teammate, the girls all went into playoffs wearing yellow to signify their support for her ongoing struggle against pediatric cancer.

Despite these grave struggles, the team managed to grit their teeth through the season. Of the 27 games they played, they won 12.

The girls won 60-30 in their Feb. 15 semi-regionals against Elk Grove. 

Varsity Coach Teri Rodgers said the girls were able to build up a lead of around 14 points at halftime, and by the end of their third quarter, their lead was over 20 points. 

“Good defense was key,” she said. “Senior Abby Ryan did a great job defensively, and it was a really good team effort with the constant hustle and grind of playing hard.”

Duffett said the team’s regionals against Maine South following their semi-regional win, however, didn’t go to plan. 

“In general, it was a difficult game. We had lost to Maine South twice heading into the game, so we knew we were going to have to play really well in order to win in this third matchup,” he said.

The two games prior to regionals against Maine South were very close. In their game in late December, the girls led almost the entire time until losing in the final minutes by 2 points.

“Because of the first few games we played against them, we knew that the disparity between the two teams is nowhere close to that much. It just so happened that Maine South played the best basketball they’ve played all year,” said Duffett.

Although the first quarter of regionals had Maine South leading 29-8, the girls pushed Maine South during the third quarter and made them have to earn their victory; Maine South’s lead was dropped to 14 points.

One of the key strategies they used to challenge Maine South was the switch to a more aggressive defense.

“We knew that in order to come back into the game, we were going to have to switch to a more aggressive trapping defense that we call our 13X. It’s a 1-3-1 defense where we’re looking to put a lot of pressure on the other team to get steals and turnovers, and just fluster the other team,” explained Duffett.

Hong said that at one point during the third quarter, the girls were able to outscore Maine South 12-8.

“We went on a bit of a run in the last few minutes of the 3rd quarter when Maine South had trouble beating our zone, and we got a couple of great steals and layups that put some points on the board,” she said.

Senior Zoe Lively noted that throughout the game, there were several moments with players displaying their prowess in remarkable ways.

“Sela Klein, a sophomore, had a brutal block against a Maine South shooter, which was a big boost of morale for the team in a dull fourth quarter,” she said.

One standout player was junior Rachael Zacks, who showed tremendous improvement as a smart zone offense player. She started off as a guard, but became the team’s starting power forward.

“Rachael had a steal in the first quarter, drove it into the basket, and made a perfect hook pass to Kaley Carpenter, a senior, for a basket,” said Lively.

A lot of the games the girls played were close, often resulting in a loss in the last quarter.

“In the close games where we lost, we were in a position to win the game because we were either in the lead or tied up until the final 90 seconds,” said Duffett.

Players felt frustrated with each loss and had many challenges to bear off the court. But their unbreakable bonds with each other and with the sport kept them playing.

“More than other teams from past seasons, they were a great group of kids who really love to play basketball. They weren’t playing because of parents or college scholarships. They just played purely because they really enjoy playing basketball with each other,” said Rodgers.