At a current record of [8-5],  the girls’ basketball team stands with more wins than losses. Although they’ve lost five games, that doesn’t stop head coach Sally Allsbrook from noticing players cheer each other on. The work the team has put in has made them better at working together on the defense side.

“I think we are better as a defensive team,” Allsbrook said. “As far as just hustling, [going] after [the ball] and getting on the ground, I think we encourage each other a lot more.”

The players are closer than they were last season, making it easier for them to focus on evolving as individuals and prove they are able to work harder from the previous season.

“I expected for us to be well prepared for this season,” power forward junior Laila Lawrence (31) said. “I feel like everybody else thinks we’re the underdogs because we lost some of our biggest hitters last year; starting this season now, we see a difference. We can trust our team [and] we have to trust our teammates more.”

The girls stay on top of making sure they are all in stable places mentally and physically. With cheering from the benches and pep talks during breaks, the girls keep everyone from having negative thoughts and getting distracted.

“We work pretty good together,” Lawrence said. “When one [person is] down we make sure they’re good [and] we make sure they’re OK. We try our best to pick them up. We tell them ‘It’s good, it’s OK, keep your head up, you got it.’”

Though the circumstances of having a couple losses was not what the team expected, they hope to do well in district, make playoffs and ultimately state. As a team, they will work to accomplish these goals beginning with the next game against Boswell High School on Tuesday, Dec. 10.

“This year, we’re playing more together,” small forward power guard junior Jessica Clemons (21) said. “[We hope to] make it to state and make it to at least the second to third round playoffs.”