Before I begin, I would like to give a round of applause to the talented athletes on the girls and boys basketball teams!
The boys season started out a little rough. Two of the team’s players, one left at the start of the semester, and the other, Logan Foltz, was injured and was out the entire season. They were projected to be two of the team’s better players. The team started with a record of 1-5 (winning one game and losing 5), but they were able to win two out of the last three games. They played against Duncan very competitively in the last game of the season.
The team, though starting out roughly, improved because they were able to learn how to play better together. “We had a lot of young talent that were able to get better throughout the season and grow as individuals,” Mr. Arnette reflected. He believes that if the team keeps improving both individually and together, that the team should have a good season next year.
Rogellio Gutierrez recalled that his favorite part of the season was when Logan Foltz subbed in for the final five minutes against Duncan, and scored his first points of the season. They improved because they developed more confidence and ended up taking better shots. Rogellio said that he could have done better on getting rebounds and playing defense. He learned that even though the season was over, don’t give up just because they didn’t have the best season. He enjoyed being on the team because he was able to work with his friends and play a sport they all share a love for. Rogellio loves basketball because you cannot just win with one person, it takes the whole team and you really have to work together. Rogellio was inspired to play by his friend Nile Oles-Anthony, he encouraged Rogellio to try out for the team even though he didn’t have confidence in himself.
The girls basketball team started off the season with a loss to IMS by 2 points. After that, they had won twelve straight games. They had made it to semi-finals, where they lost to IMS 30-28. The team got better by working together and working harder, and they realized their strengths and weaknesses, which led them to play the way they did. Mr. Arnette says that “It’s a very fun group to coach and they play well together, they really feed off each other’s energy and they keep getting better every game.”
Ella Singer reminisces that her favorite part of the season was when Haven Schneider made a half court shot at the end of the Duncan game, when they were tied and they ended up winning the game. The team had started with players who had never played basketball before and they ended up being able to handle the ball very well at the end of the season. Ella thought that the team as a whole could have worked better on their shooting and accuracy.
In the middle of the season, Ella injured her wrist so she didn’t play that much, but she learned to dribble low and control the ball better. She also ended up becoming very left-handed dominant towards the end of the season. Ella also made lots of new friends and talked about how the team felt like one big family. Her love for basketball stems from the fact that it is a fast-paced sport, and it’s very exciting even if you aren’t playing. Ella had tried out for the team last year and had not made it, but this year she made the team. “I had learned to never give up and to always believe in myself”
Laney Cyrek recalls that her favorite part of the season was when they won the Duncan game and Coach Arnette and little Ella Gundry went out to the middle of the court and did the scuba dance. “The team had improved because they had such a great coach and lots of teamwork,” says Laney. She felt like she could have done better with staying off the floor because that’s “basically where I lived this season.” Laney had also learned how to pass the ball better and dribble. The team was very fun to practice with in the morning and it felt like one big family. Last year, Laney had tried out for the team because her Dad had encouraged her and she ended up making the team. She made the team again and was very grateful that her friends made the team too!
Mr. Arnette hopes that both teams are going to improve next year. They have a great 6th and 7th grade group, and over the summer they will be working hard to improve their individual skills. If the teams continue to grow the way they did this year, then they will have a promising season next year.
Overall, we have found that players on both teams have improved greatly and played their best. They became closer as a team and learned how to work better together as a team. I cannot wait to see what these players do next year!
