With a focus on dominating competition, the boys and girls basketball teams work hard to prepare for the remainder of the season ahead.
The girls’ main focus is strategy, according to the team. They work on defensive drills and ball-handling skills during practice, which help them prepare for the challenges of an actual game.
The boys team, however, emphasizes more aggressive play. Boys basketball coach Steve McKinley focuses heavily on defense. He believes that strong defense is essential to winning games.
“You’ve got to be able to stop people to win,” McKinley said, who adds that the boys team is often overconfident. “They think they already know everything, but I end up teaching them the basics all over again.”
The biggest difference between the sports may derive from the energy at the games.
“People don’t really show up to girls games, and they don’t take them as seriously as the boys games,” junior Amya Stroman said.
As for varsity girls captain Madeline “Maddi” Fisher, it’s all about perspective.
“People think girls basketball is boring, but it’s actually fun to watch,” Maddi said.
Girls basketball deserves more recognition, according to McKinley.
“Girls basketball is fun to watch because it’s all about fundamentals,” McKinley said. “Boys rely more on athleticism, but girls really focus on the details.”
Despite their physical differences, both teams face similar challenges.
For Maddi, being a leader is one of her biggest personal obstacles.
“I want to help my team get better while pushing myself to improve too,” Maddi said.
For senior and varsity boys player Chase Mullen, his biggest challenge consists of getting teammates on the same page.
“Getting the team to work together can be tough, but it’s worth it because we feel like a family,” Chase said.
In order to get more equal levels of audience support for girls basketball games, Maddi and Amya came up with suggestions. Amya believes the school could do more to promote the girls games, such as posting flyers or making announcements. Maddi suggests that a louder, more supportive crowd would have a positive impact.
“My motto is ‘tomorrow is a whole new day’, so whatever happened yesterday, leave that behind,’” McKinley said. “The more you focus on dwelling on the past you bring that energy over to the next game. Anyone can have a good game, but great players have great seasons.”
