With only two games remaining, the Girls’ basketball team is looking to finish strong. The emphasis on this season is to want more and it’s hard to say that they have not been doing that. They are turning around the culture of Pleasant Valley’s girls’ basketball team. The team has also had the mindset of, “Taking no game lightly,” said Ellie Spelhaug, junior. The team was firing on all cylinders this past friday while playing against cross town rivals, the Bettendorf Bulldogs. They destroyed the bulldogs 53 to 33. They hope to continue to play with such energy for the rest of the season.
“Defense wins championships.” is the approach this team has taken. They are closing in on team record of points allowed per game. Carli Spelhaug also leads the state in steals with 91; she is also closing in on the team record of 99 steals.
The team is flowing with poise, and exuding with confidence. Extremely rare for such a young team composed of no seniors and only one returning starter. They are looking forward to finishing the season strong and keeping their foot on the pedal. “We need to continue developing our offensive confidence” said Carli Spelhaug, sophomore.
Going into the playoffs, it is obvious that their focus is getting other offensive threats involved in the game and building their confidence to take shots in big games. The team was able to do that on Friday. Grace Budde, junior, was able to get quality shots, scoring from all over the court. The team is looking for her to have continued success.
Their playoff bracket was released last week and with a first round bye, the ladies are very excited and optimistic about the teams they could potentially play. “We play against teams that have never seen our defense before,” said Rory Donahue, junior. Their first game will most likely be against Cedar Rapids Jefferson.
