In truth, sports are played, not just for the fun of the sport, but also for the thrill of the win. The adrenaline of facing a challenge, and overcoming it, is a large part of what motivates players to keep going and give their blood, sweat, and tears for the game.
With this drive to win on their minds, this year the Liberty Girls Basketball team faced their own struggles, and like any formidable group of athletes, they rose to face the challenges they encountered head-on.
“The biggest struggle we faced this year was our positivity on the court because we all wanted to do so well and we were all aspiring to do the best and be the best we could be,” senior captain Heaven Bruce said.
Having acknowledged this struggle, the team actively worked their hardest to be the most positive and all-around best team they could be.
“Every game and practice we would remind the entire team to have a positive mentality and to not let any negativity step onto the court,” junior captain Grace Moawad said.
But positivity wasn’t the only struggle that the girls confronted. The team also faced injury, ineligibility, and uncertainty.
“One of our biggest challenges was working and playing together throughout games in order to win. There were players that were ineligible, so we had to work past that and just focus on what we had,” sophomore captain Devynn Warns said.
Yet despite these hurdles, the team persevered. These challenges only succeeded in bringing the team closer together, driving them to get to know each other better and trust each other more—a bond which showed itself on the court.
The team ended with a winning district record of 7-5 and was able to place third in King-co. Sophomore Brooke Pedersen led the team in points, scoring an overall total of 217 points. Bruce led in rebounds with an overall count of 176 and Moawad led in assists with 50.
“As we progressed, we really got our groove down and began working well together as a team,” sophomore Lexi Sparrow said. “We began playing looser and with more fun knowing that our teammates had our backs.”