The Pleasant Valley girls’ basketball season is taking off without a hitch. So far, the team has gone through their season with an undefeated record (7-0) with prospects of continuing their winning streak.
“I have a group of kids that work super hard and they understand the importance of being unselfish and being a good teammate. When you have a combination like that it makes the team better,” said head coach, Jennifer Goetz. “The girls have been committed to making themselves better and the team better. Along with that, their team chemistry is outstanding right now. We have a good balance of kids who understand their role and also coupling with that, kids who want to be a star in their role -a tough thing to do.”
Although the team’s skills on the court this season have been apparent, the work and effort put into the off-season can’t go unnoticed. “We’ve had a lot of girls put in a lot of time in the off-season, and when you have kids that work on their craft and work to get better, when they come together as a team it makes the whole team better as a whole,” said Goetz.
Goetz herself is also always in constant prep to better the team. “A big thing I do off-season is communicating to other coaches and learn from them as well as go to clinics and and do a lot of research online. And then we get a lot of information from watching the mistakes we made the year before and making improvements on the players,” stated Goetz.
Last year, the team had an impressive season with a 19-4 record, but ultimately missed their goal of getting to the state tournament. Losing in their regional final game was a disappointing end to the season last year, but it did not hinder their spirits nor discourage them from reaching their goal this year, in fact, it may have fueled their determination. With another year of experience to add under the belts of the returning players, the varsity team has shown their hunger for state.
The Lady Spartans are off to a hot start this season, and they hope to keep their winning streak alive as they close out their final games before winter break.
