As winter rolls around, finals are in the mist. School becomes a priority but winter sports are gearing up as the girls basketball season is up and running. The Varsity, JV and Freshman teams all started up with new and exciting players, as well as returning stars.

Varsity

Varsity worked tirelessly throughout the offseason and regular season, but to Patience Like, sophomore, this brings her happiness as she gets to do what she loves and has been working towards since the start of high school.

“I’ve been playing basketball for a long time. I played club, so I wanted to do high school for fun,” Like said.

Practice makes perfect and has shown. Preparation before the season and before big games has helped OHS girls get off to a hot start to the season.

“[Practices are] just fun, it gets us going, it gets us better, it improves us,” Like said.

Players work together to create an unstoppable force on the court, blowing out opposing teams as they work through the season.

“I enjoy working with other girls; I love teamwork,” Like said.

Their hardwork and dedication to improve has seemed to pay off as the current season seems to be going very well for the girls varsity basketball team as they continue through with a record of 8-1 and have been consistently beating teams by 30 or more points.

“It’s going very good, we’re blowing out the teams right now,” Like said.

Basketball for some high school players can be more than just a game. Some students hope to go to college on basketball scholarships to continue their passion for years to come.

“I’m hoping that basketball can get me into college, it’s a passion of mine…it’s a fun sport and don’t be afraid to try it out,” Like said.

OHS Varsity’s next game will be away at Shadow Ridge on Dec 13.

JV

As JV prepared for the new season, players, both returning and new, participated in the offseason. Practice helped the JV team hone in on their best skills as well as improve on their worst ones.

“We had a lot of tournaments and pre-season, and a lot of training,” said Phaelen Bride, sophomore.

The adrenaline of playing basketball keeps the players going strong. As well as the environment created by becoming a team through friendship.

“I enjoy all the friends that I get to make and the thrill of playing basketball,” Bride said.

JV is going strong with an undefeated record to the start of the season.

“It’s [the season] going really good, we are 3-0 and winning by a lot in each game,” Bride said.

Although basketball might not be for everyone, it can certainly bring joy to the lovers of the sport. The hard work and energy it requires to play show the dedication that all of these players have towards the sport.

“Even though it’s a really physical sport and takes a lot of energy it’s really fun and worth it,” Bride said.

JV girls basketball will also travel to play against Shadow Ridge on Dec 13.

Freshman

Most new high schoolers are just learning the ropes of the next four years of their life while freshmen players are taking time to dedicate themselves to a sport. Freshman girls basketball has prepared month in advance for season to start and to get a grasp on teamwork and the skills of their peers.

“We started practices a month before games started and we’ve just kept pushing ourselves to work harder,” said Ryan Jacobs, freshman.

Joining the team and getting the confidence to try out is a hard fear to overcome, but when accomplished, that fear becomes friendship and fun. As the season goes on, games get harder and players’ dedication gets stronger.

“I’m excited to keep playing, to play harder, and to just keep playing,” Jacobs said.

Basketball is not just another hard sport, it helps students find who they are as well as keeping up with their school through an enjoyable hobby.

“[Basketball] actually a fun sport and more people should come watch it,” Jacobs said.

Freshman girls basketball will also play at Shadow Ridge on Dec 13.

*due to The Talon going to the printer, scores for the Tucson games can be found on aia365.com