The girls basketball team won their first game against Princeton/Green Lake in Green Lake on Tuesday with a score of 43 to 28.

“We have high expectations yet things have some limitations,” Head Coach Ray Mlada said. “I guess our biggest weakness would be depth, there’s not a lot of numbers of girls playing basketball, unfortunately.” 

There are only 16 girls playing basketball, which is only enough for two teams instead of the usual three. 

“Our frontline kids get fatigued, so depth is definitely an issue,” Mlada said. 

Even though there are few girls playing basketball, the ones that do are dedicated to playing their best. 

“I have been going to all open gyms and practicing on my shot and other basketball moves,” junior forward Callie Kurczek said. 

 Their first game was a reflection of their hard work. With the return of key starters from last season and great team chemistry they hope they will be able to go far. 

“Hopefully we’ll be good, we have a lot of the same returning girls, and even though our team is small we work well together,” senior center Claire Bartol said. 

The girls have been preparing for the season as best they can despite their small numbers. 

 “We had many practices and played in a league during the summer as well as having open gyms throughout the fall,” Bartol said. 

Basketball is a long and tasking season, so being physically and mentally fit is a key component.  

“I play on another basketball team to keep me in shape and I also take the time to go into the high school and shoot,” Kurczek said. 

But, it is not only the players who have been preparing. Mlada has a long career so he is familiar with coaching his players and improving his coaching skills.

“I watch a lot of coaching videos. I’ve been doing this a long long time so I try to coordinate the concepts of the game that will be most conducive to meeting the skill level of the players in our program,” Mlada said. 

Some girls also have personal goals as well as high aspirations for their whole team. 

“My goal is to average ten or more points per game and to have around 10 rebounds a game,” Kurczek said. 

Especially after their win, the team is excited for how the season will play out and are looking forward to what is to come. 

“I hope we have a good conference record and beat some of the teams we were close with last season,” Bartol said. 

Their next game is tonight against Waupaca.