Last year girl’s basketball worked their way up to becoming 3rd in the state, and this season the team should be able to get to the same spot, or even go further with only one player graduating. But that is not the case with five other players leaving the team because of new basketball programs and COVID. With six new players replacing the team members who left the team is ready to work harder to achieve their goals this season. 

The team was uncertain that they would have a high school season because of COVID-19. So when new basketball programs in Arizona started, five of the girls decided to join the new programs to have more certainty in having a season and being able to play. Senior power forward Gabrielle Schwartz said, “New programs popped up for girls basketball and because of COVID they can travel and we can’t.” 

Six of the junior varsity girls got moved up to fill in the missing spots on the varsity team. Going from playing junior varsity to varsity can be a difficult change, but head coach Andrew Curtis says the girls are ready for the challenge. “They have been working extremely hard even before they were on varsity. They have tremendous character and work ethic…”

The team is working even harder this year to accomplish their goals and building the team up from the loose of players. Nichole Smith, Senior shooting guard said, “We’ve been practicing every day, we come in early for school and a couple extra lifts.” The team is rigorously preparing so they are ready for the season. Curtis said, “We are really working hard on our defense, we have to be great on the defensive end of the court.” Defense is a main focus going into future games.

The players are ready for the upcoming season and ready to prove themselves as a new team, Schwartz said, “I think we will actually do pretty well this season despite what other people are expecting.”  The team also has high goals that they want to meet this season despite the circumstances, “Once again it’s definitely to get to the same point we did last year and maybe even go beyond that,” Smith noted. According to Curtis he has set the goals for the team for this season and the girls are ready to work towards it, “Our standards don’t change from year to year. I’m at Perry to compete for championships. Everyone on varsity is well aware of that and are getting ready to make another run for a title” says Curtis about the goals he has for the team this year. Girls basketball has had to overcome losing and rebuilding half the team, but despite that the girls and the coach believe that they are prepared for the season.