By Katherine Kelly, Junior Reporter for the Beachcomber
The players are in the locker room before the game starts. They have played together since elementary school and the sense of camaraderie is infectious. Everyone is messing around and in good spirits, but when the coach comes in, it is time to get serious. There are no seniors to accompany them on the court tonight. Just as last year, they have learned to play as the underdog with a young team and scrap for the win.
The Varsity team is made up of five juniors, three sophomores and one freshman. The JV team is made up of five sophomores and four freshmen.
Since there are so few upperclassmen, younger players, such as sophomores Ella Wheeler, Cara Snodgrass and Maggie Battisti along with freshman Tamsen Henry have had the chance to move up into varsity positions.
Captain Ava Butler is only a junior, meaning she has the unique opportunity to lead this team during both her junior and senior years.
Butler was elected a captains at the beginning of the season. The role of captain is usually appointed to one or two seniors, but the team does not have any seniors this year. Last year’s team had zero juniors and one senior; Eva Anderson.
“I like being captain,” Butler said. “But it does come with a lot of responsibility and influence on the younger players.”
Most of the team has played together since elementary school, and has developed a strong bond over the years.
F“We have a good sense of each other’s weaknesses and strengths,” Butler said. “It is not necessarily a challenge not having seniors [on the team because] a lot of younger players have [stepped] up.”
But, according to Butler, while many of the girls have played together for much of their lives, that doesn’t necessarily mean they always get along.
“There is always a little drama on the team between players, and it can get in the way of practicing or playing sometimes,” Butler said. “It is something we are working on as a team, and once all the initial kinks are worked out, our chemistry … will be much stronger.”
As of Dec. 10, the team has played in five games, winning just one game 34 – 33 against Tenino High School. The team is ranked last out of five in the Nisqually League.
Last year, the girls Varsity team lost 15 games, and won five. At this point in the last year, the team had the same statistics.
