The Freedom girls’ basketball team took a hit when former Seniors Madison Daubenspeck, Casey Spieler, Jessica Palak and Alexis Shingleton graduated, but the team isn’t letting that hold them back this season.

“The seniors from last season did a lot for us, but it just shows how much we have to step up and do what we can to fill their places,” Senior Courtney Susan said.

“I think [the seniors] were a big impact on the team, but us freshmen need to take a step up and fill the spot,” Freshmen Taylor Greene said.

Just like with any new sports season, the team is going to suffer from different setbacks, but a new season can also be an opportunity as a fresh start and a new chance for success. The girls expect to go even farther and do even greater things than they did in past years.

“Since our coach has been with the team, we’ve had a good winning record. I expect us to keep that winning record we’ve had in previous years and hopefully even make it to playoffs,” Susan said.

It’s always an adjustment when new players join the team. Everyone has the concern that they won’t work well with one another, but, in this case, it’s nothing to fret about. The new Freshmen players that joined the basketball team have been playing together for years and have even played with other members of the team, allowing them to have more trust and confidence in each other when they are out on the court.

“We’ve played and developed together through the years, which helps create a team bond,” Greene said.

Through it all, everything will fall into place and the team will function as a cohesive unit. The girls will all unite as one close-knit team and work together smoothly to try and keep their winning record from the past.

“I hope, as a freshmen, I can continue to improve my game and contribute to our team,” Greene said.

With 14 new girls being added onto the basketball team, Coach Kaercher has had to make a few adjustments to his playbook. His new plays will have to match and cooperate with his players’ skills and weaknesses.

Working through this, the season is now in full swing. The Freedom girls hosted a basketball tournament on Fri. which the Varsity team won two games at and the Junior Varsity won one game. Then, the following day, the varsity championship game was held in the school gym also. The Freedom girls took home the championship title on Saturday by winning first place.

“All the players showed up to that game with their hearts in it. We played all 32 minutes of that game as hard as we could and we got the outcome we wanted and were hoping to get,” Sophomore Bailey Prell said.