The girl’s basketball team has been playing very well this season. With an important game against Kent City coming up, many of the players have been taking the initiative to spend more time on the court. 

Senior Mikayla Rutgers has been training especially hard and is hoping to keep the team connected throughout these hard times. 

“The players have been focusing on staying connected as a team and practicing together. Because of COVID-19, it sometimes makes it hard to keep our spirits up,” Rutgers said.  

With the season coming to an early end, players have been training especially hard for this season in hopes of making it to the playoffs. 

“Our team goal is to make it to the playoffs and continue to work hard. Many players on the team are excited about this season and we are going to make the most of it even though it is ending early,” Rutgers said. 

Even though players are happy to be back on the courts, because of COVID-19 sports restrictions put in place earlier this year, some difficulties have surfaced.  

“Because of masks, it makes playing more difficult,” Rutgers said. “Especially because we are running a lot, it makes it extremely hard to breathe.” 

For junior Alli Carlson, training time has increased since there are fewer games happening this year. 

“Training for me has not changed that much, if anything I have had more time for training than I have had in past years due to cancellations of seasons and games,” Carlson said. 

Like Rutgers, masks have become an added hassle but are now something most players are used to. 

“Wearing masks during training was an initial adjustment but now that I am used to wearing masks training does not seem much different than it has in past years,” Carlson said. 

Because of the virus, Carlson feels worried about the unknowns and how quickly the season could be shut down. 

“The hardest part really is all the unknowns, we have had to reschedule games countless times due to teams being quarantined and other Covid-related issues,” Carlson said. “Anyone could be out on any given day for up to two weeks.”

Despite these difficulties, the team is keeping their spirits up and will continue to make the most of their season in hopes to finish strong. 

“The team is working very hard, and so I just hope we can continue to work hard and continue to improve each day,” Carlson said.