The varsity girls basketball team is gearing up for a season of potential and pressure.

“Recently, I have gotten better at moving fast on the court, dribbling efficiently, and defensive moves. Running often and shooting outside during summer helped me to improve,” freshman Sydni DeCastro, point guard, said.

With a new basketball season approaching, the varsity girls have been refining their skills. 

“My fundamentals, defense, and athleticism have both gotten a lot better since last season. I also have improved on knowing where to be during offensive plays,” junior Lola Trent, center, said.

Players have had chances to train by showing up at open gyms. 

“Over the summer, we had the opportunity to attend a lot of open gyms, which is where I met some really cool freshmen. Our lineup will look a lot different this year because our top point scorer and shooting guard were both seniors last year, so it was good to meet all the new girls,” sophomore Maddison Judge, shooting guard, said.

New spots on the team will grow competitiveness and a hunger to improve between the girls. Freshmen are getting the opportunity to experience the high school basketball environment.

“High school is more active and more communicative than middle school basketball. Also, coaching wasn’t very good, and we conditioned slower,” DeCastro said.

With new, improved experiences for the freshmen, the girls’ team will be able to maintain a strong front against difficult schools.

“Franklin will be difficult to play against because they are a much larger school than us and have more options for lineups and plays,” Trent said.

They will have to focus that much more on sharpening their skills to be successful against great teams.

“I think Martinsville will be challenging to play because they are very competitive and their athleticism is strong,” DeCastro said.

Every player has different strategies to help them get in the correct headspace to compete.

“To perform, I just think of doing good for my team, family, and friends who have supported me,” Trent said.

DeCastro drives her ambition in a different way.

“I focus on improvements I can make and positive self-talk to play to the best of my ability,” DeCastro said.