The girls’ basketball team starts off the month of February by winning against Ellwood City 60-57. This was the girls’ third win for the season. Though they have practiced and worked this year, the season has not exactly met the team’s expectations.

The girls’ season took a turn from the previous season. This year was not quite as successful in comparison, but they went on with a lot of new and young players.

“This season [our players] are a lot younger, making it harder to compare to other teams that have a lot of older, more experienced girls,” sophomore Chloe Keller said.

The returning girls did not know what to expect due to the amount of new players and going on without the ones they lost.

“Last year, we lost a few players who started. Some things I’ve learned from this season are to never give up and this year was just a re-building year to get us prepared for next season,” sophomore Alexia Barlamas said.

On Feb. 9, the Lady Dawgs went up against the Riverside Panthers. The team fell to Riverside with a score of 65-49.

The girls played their final section game against Rochester on Feb. 13, which was also their senior night for their only senior player, Mackenzie Moldovan. That game resulted in a score of 53-42 with Freedom losing. This game was one of the closest games the girls have played this season. The entire time both teams battled for the lead.

The Lady Dawgs started in the lead at the beginning of the game. The team fought hard, but they started to let the other team score and overall lost the game by a small margin.

Senior night festivities were held between the girls’ game and the boys’ game, both against Rochester. Rochester’s senior players were recognized during this time as well.

The team wrapped up their season with a record of 3-19. Their record for last season was 8-15. The girls plan to build off from this season and do what they can to improve the next one.

Though this season did not meet all of the girls’ expectations, the team is not disappointed.

“This year, I think I have learned that just because you don’t win, does not mean that your team isn’t good,” Keller said.

The girls who are planning to return and play next year have an optimistic outlook for the season. They used this year to practice and get the team together, leaving them open for success.

“I think next year we can be better, but we need to have a better attitude going into the season and we need to try harder during pre-season,” Keller said.

“I think next season will be better. I think this because the girls who came out this season will be more [familiar with] the high school level. Also, all of us who played this year and will play next year will know how to [communicate] with each other,” Barlamas said.