Tiny, mighty Freshmen girls' basketball team finishes strong
February 16, 2012 11:59 am | Filed Under: Athletics
Coach Derek Christerson kneels before the girls freshmen basketball team during a time out in the game. The freshmen team has faced major controversy, this year. The team started with eight players and dwindled down to six. The girls that have stuck with it have flourished. Their overall regular season record is 11-5. (Image Credit: McDaniel's photography)

Late Oct. eight girls tried out for the freshmen basketball team. Now, in mid- Feb, the season is wrapping up, and the freshmen team is down to six. Despite the controversy of having a team with basically no bench, the girls have truly made a name for themselves.

Considering five athletes are constantly on the court at a time, six players barely makes a team.

“Our team looks so tiny; we go to other schools and see their team of ten or eleven, some of the time I am amazed at how well our small team does,” said Lauren Saxon, 9.

From the beginning of the year, when the team had eight, Coach Derek Christerson, Head girls’ Freshmen coach knew that they would have to work harder than anyone else.

Now finishing the season, the team can look back to this Oct. when it all began. Starting with eight, the season got off to a slow start, then the first win against Lakota West and the athletes, coaches, and fans realized that the freshmen team was capable of a lot.
Mid-way through the season, and down to seven, the girls started to let the GMC know that SHS is not to be forgotten by improving to an above .500 record.

A couple more weeks and the frosh team faced more controversy finding themselves with a team of six players. The girls smacked the controversy in the face by defeating Lakota West for a second time and winning against Lakota East, who was previously undefeated in the GMC.

“It only takes five to play basketball, we do not have much more than that, but we manage, not only do we manage, but we win,” said Erin Kroell, 9.

The regular season concluded Sat. Feb. 11, 2012 and the Lady Aves beat Middletown and finished with a strong record of 11-5.

“If you told me in the beginning of the year we would go 11-5 in the regular season I would have been ecstatic,” said Christerson.

Entering the post season Fairfield Invitational tournament the Aves received a first round buy, as they were seeded number two. A victory Tues. Feb. 14, 2012 against Fairfield sends the Lady Aves to the finals.

A team of eight, then seven, now six faced great controversy, but rose above and now finished with a strong winning record and has a shot of winning a post-season tournament.