The 13-2 girls basketball team is coming off a state championship runner-up season and are looking at another successful run at the trophy as they head into the midst of the campaign. 

Last year’s historic 30-2 season was cut short with a loss in the state championship, but this squad is looking to repeat that success. The team is working with the same starting five who have experience playing in championship games. 

“When you have players that you keep from year to year, they start to build chemistry which connects to the next year,” head coach Mike Bennett said. “Being able to have the same players for the last couple of years has only helped us build chemistry in each season that they’ve played.”

Bennett has coached all winning girls basketball teams during his time with the Falcons, but the past three seasons have shown visible improvement as they have only lost seven games in that span. The roster and work ethic among the team is shown in the team’s record and box scores, but the team chemistry is also visible on the court as the players are familiar with each other, which is a big part in a team’s play style.

“I just want to go out there and have fun,” senior Londyn Parker said. “Another message is just to work together because we have really good talent on our team.”

Another standout part of this team is their competitiveness against a tough schedule. Earlier in the season, the team competed in the Sophie Cunningham Classic where they played two highly-ranked teams from both New York and Texas. They started the first of two matchups by facing off against New York’s No. 1 prep school, Long Island Lutheran, where they fell in a 53-64 loss. However, the team recouped in an exciting 49-38 game against the currently No. 24 ranked team in Texas, Oak Cliff Family Academy, to cap off the classic. 

“You plan a competitive schedule anytime you can,” Bennett said. “It can only benefit you when you play a tougher schedule.”

This team’s experience playing good teams across the country catapulted them into success against district and conference opponents. So far in conference play, they remain undefeated and have a tight hold over district rankings.

Not only have they been dominating conference standings, they have been putting the scoreboard operator to work, beating all three of their conference opponents so far by 40 or more points. In last year’s season, the team saw itself in almost the same position in the midst of the season, trying to win their way through district and conference matchups to put them in a better place come playoffs. 

“We need to keep going on this roll that we are on right now,” Parker said. “I think as a team we are playing really well together. I just look forward for that to continue.”

As the season continues, this team hoped to repeat the successes of last year and possibly allow the players to hoist the trophy they were so close to earning last season. They will now look to face off against their last non-conference opponent, St. Thomas Aquinas High School today.