JV Girls Basketball Plays Strongly in Last Game

By Natalie Vasileff

The hardworking JV Girls Basketball team of Darien High School just faced a tough match against the ladies of Westhill this past Wednesday, the 14th of February. Despite losing to a close score, this was arguably the best game the girls had this season. While starting off slow in the beginning, the team quickly caught up with Westhill. Their low score of 2 - 10 quickly rose up to 10 - 14 just before halftime. With many of the girls on the Westhill team also on Varsity, the DHS girls stood their ground and gave all of their effort. It was agreed that everyone played their hearts out and showed the best communication skills yet. Considering defense, it was its best performance this season. Everyone showed true strength in letting the guards know what was going on and gave them many opportunities for fast breaks and the ability to steal during a lot of moments. However, offensively, shots were not falling even though the team players had strong aggression and momentum. In the second half, the team showed immense determination and skill, leaving the final score at 26 - 33.

Junior Penn Boucher, captain of the team, recalls wholeheartedly: “Despite losing, the team left everything on the court and put in 110% effort. Unfortunately, the ball just didn’t go in when we needed it too but we are still very proud of everyone. It was a great game.”

The team looks to get a rebound late in the game. 

Mostly due to a lot of pressure, a lot of attempted shots were sadly not in the team’s favor. Additionally, the team does confirm that they need to practice more bounce passes when they play another rough game like this one. Team communication and support definitely showed the most in this game, though. The girls on the team have some of the closest bonds anyone could ever see on the court. “We are all very close friends. We always show a lot of support for each other.” says sophomore player, Maggie Moffatt. “I appreciate how close everyone has gotten. I’d trust them with anything.”

Coco Jepson, a sophomore player that was injured, had a good chance to evaluate the game from the bench and provided a great perspective. “We definitely struggled to put in some shots. Something we could have done better would have been to outsmart Westhill and think in advance.” she said. “I’m still extremely proud of how we played. We were putting it all on the court and showed all effort. We showed true sportsmanship and teamwork. That’s what I’m proud of the most.”

“Coach Ian was really proud of us and I’ll even say he will miss us a little next year,” Emma Blenke, another player on the team said . “He agrees in saying this was one of, if not the best, game we have played. He was one of the best coaches ever. He was incredibly supportive and understanding and was always optimistic.”

 The way th team works together and the close bonds the girls have built still outshines any loss. “This was definitely our best game and it wasn’t just the best because of our incredible defense and heart on the court,” Emma recalls, “but because you got to see the improvement of everyone and the energy of the gym by the end of the game. We have showed the enthusiasm and love of our team and program.”