She steadied her footing to prepare for the game-winning shot. The team cheering from the side of the court, she focused on what she had been religiously doing during practice.

With the girls varsity basketball season advancing, the girls have been relentlessly perfecting their abilities. 

“I’m looking forward to our game coming up against Perry because they have improved a lot since last season. Their team has gotten a lot quicker on the court. They also have great guard play. I think it will be a good match up because they focus on being fast to the basket which is something we also have done,” senior Eliana Anderson, shooting guard, said. 

Both Anderson and sophomore Madison Bethel, power forward, said the team can succeed against Perry with resilience.

“I think the game against Perry is definitely winnable, but we will have to all work together and play how we know we can,” Bethel said.

By working on their physicality, the girls are bettering their chances against teams who play at the same level as the girls.

“To prepare physically, I have been focusing on going hard in practice and not taking easy shots because they won’t be there in games. Also, our coaches have had us do conditioning often,” Anderson said.

To optimize on practice time, the girls have been working on game-specific skills.

“Normally during practice, we focus on light conditioning, and then we all will do shooting drills and run our normal game plays. We also do recovery at the end of practice,” Bethel said.

Injuries still rattle the girls’ team.

“I’ve had more injuries this year than I’ve had any other season, specifically a concussion earlier in the season and also an ankle fracture. To overcome that, I try and keep a positive mindset by reminding myself that injuries are temporary and that I have to take time to heal,” Bethel said.

Injuries and hardship affect how the girls play.

“Many of our girls have been out during games because they got sick or they aren’t allowed to play due to an injury. Since the entire team has dealt with injuries and sickness this season, we’ve all learned that rising above hard things has affected how we view the sport in both positive and negative ways,” freshman Kennedy Rollings, forward, said.

In addition to injuries, the team has had many other difficulties like Bethel’s injuries. To overcome this, the girls have been working on their positivity.

“All of our seniors have kept us really positive and focused because they help to motivate us in the right direction mentally during practice. If the upperclassmen are speaking positively about the outcome of a game or practice, it helps us remain positive too,” Bethel said.

Rollings echoed Bethel’s same sentiment of appreciating encouragement from other teammates.

“Our team is very positive, which I think is because of our upperclassmen. They have helped me understand that trusting in myself and my team helps me overcome hardship,” Rollings said.

The Lady Woodmen will face the Lady Falcon away tonight at 6 pm.