The girls basketball team gets ready for a long bus ride down to Washington High School for yet another tournament. After the previous tournament at Nixa in Springfield, Missouri, on Jan 18th, the team lost 0-3, so they were feeling a little defeated preparing for Washington. The team went undefeated for the first 7 games in December. Currently we are sitting at 11-8 as of the last game on Feb 9th. Junior Riley Henderson gives details about Nixa.

“We played three State ranked teams,” Henderson said. “So we faced some tough opponents in some tough stretches.”

 It is normal to feel intimidated by the competition, but it’s important to see it as a growing opportunity. Freshman Jayla Robinson speaks about how the Nixa tournament made her feel. 

“The teams were more advanced and athletic than we thought they would be,” Robinson explained. “It’s just cool seeing different types of people and teams.” 

These tournaments allow for the players to grow their game by seeing a collection of athletes with skills they’ve never played against. Even if the tournament wasn’t an obvious win, it still allowed for our players to experience playing against great teams. Junior Morgan Davis described what she took from the tournaments.

“We learned how we need to work as a team to achieve the things that we want. We’ve never faced this type of competition before,” Davis said, “Everyone had to figure out what their role was on the team in order for us to compete with these teams.”.

Beyond the actual playing of basketball, the tournaments allow for a lot of team bonding as you spend a full weekend with your teammates. 

“It was a chance to spend time with our teammates that we don’t get [normally],” Henderson explained. “Definitely got closer to everybody, and even got to play better competition.” 

Getting to know your teammates on a personal level allows for the team to strengthen their game, a strong team bond creates that connection that is so important. In a game it’s nice to know you can put your trust in your teammates and know that they can help you during a difficult part of the game. 

“It was really fun sharing a hotel room with my teammates, and then [at] Washington, the bus rides there. It’s fun spending time with my teammates,” Davis said. 

The team also went bowling and spent time becoming closer with each other, so overall it was a great experience.