While fall sports are beginning to wrap up, winter sports have already begun to set the pace with highly competitive preseason activity. Although most teams have already started putting in work to compete during the upcoming winter season, perhaps none have done more work than the Pleasant Valley girls’ basketball team.

Directed by head coach Jennifer Goetz, the Spartans look to return to the MAC conference this year at full strength, returning all key members after graduating no one from the roster last year. While the team looked strong last year, an important link in senior Kira Arthofer will return after suffering a knee injury that kept her on the bench last high school season. This year, Arthofer will return in full strength as a captain, leading alongside of two other captains: seniors Rory Donahue and Ellie Spelhaug.

Preparation is an important theme for this year’s squad with weeks packed with open gyms, team training sessions, and scrimmages weeks prior to the beginning of the season. Team member and senior Cami Hunter explained the schedule, “Each week, we have set open gym times; additionally, the girls of the team created optional workouts three days of the week. Usually, we’re in the gym 4 days a week and during the weekends, we’ll often have league games in Iowa City. It’s a lot of work, but it’s all to achieve our goals this upcoming season,” Hunter emphasized.

The lady Spartans have started this work as early as possible, hoping to positively impact this season’s outcome. As for this season, the team has big goals in mind. Captain and senior Donahue stated that, “The first goal is to win MAC outright. Ultimately, our final goal will be to make it to the State Tournament. It’s our last year as seniors, and we want to get past the hump that we always struggle with during the regional finals. Getting to Des Moines this year is something that this whole team wants. Being a senior, I know that this group of girls in particular has a strong desire to leave our mark on the girl’s basketball program.”

The girl’s basketball team will keep these goals in mind while they continue to finish out the off season and officially begin the season with practices starting on November 6th.