The junior varsity girls’ first game of the year was a close game against Parkway North. The team featured a player from each grade level.

“We had girls from all grades, which we didn’t think would help build good team chemistry right away,” sophomore Mia Feldman said. “My expectation was that we just couldn’t all mesh, and I was really worried.”

Throughout the game the girls would get the lead but give it up again and mostly trailed during the game.

“They had two players who would continue to hit threes, and each time we had to try and come back and get another lead,” freshman Lauren Greenstein said.

According to Greenstein, with each possession the game got more physical with girls getting knocked down.

“We kept getting up and playing harder each time though,” Greenstein said. “I kept motivating myself to play hard defense and not let myself get beat.”

The game drew closer and the girls were still down by two points until freshman Shannon Flynn hit a game-tying jump shot late in the fourth quarter.

“It was my first high school game, and I just felt a rush of adrenaline as the time ran down,” Flynn said. “After hitting the shot, the song ‘We are the Champions’ was playing in my head. I was really confident we were going to win the game.”

The girls ended up winning the game and, according to Feldman, it was a real surprise for many.

“Coach [Tom] Sellers was incredibly shocked that we won because Parkway North teams are so well,” Feldman said. “The game was a real nail-biter, and pulling out a win wasn’t expected by my teammates and me either.”

With a win in their first game, the girls’ loud cheers and screams made it evident that it was a big win.

“I didn’t know what to expect from the team or the competition in my first game on a high school team,” Flynn said. “After making the big shot and pulling out a win, I felt like I was on top of the basketball world.”

The girls won their next two games, making them the champions of the Parkway tournament.

“After the first game we were all like, ‘Wow! We can work together well and this team can be really fun to be a part of,’” Feldman said.