The basketball team won their game against St. Teresa’s Academy on Jan. 5. The game was filled with many three pointers scored, slick layups, focused free-throws, and a multitude of different plays, contributed from both teams. 

“I think that everybody played great last night, I was a little pent-up by the hype and nerves of it being the St. Teresa’s game, but I am extremely proud of how everybody played,” Senior Olivia Shively said. 

The home team held the lead the majority of the game, until the last few minutes of the game, when St. Teresa’s took the lead by several points. The intensity between both teams was obvious as the seconds left in the game quickly dwindled. An impressive three point shot made by Shannon Karlin with less than ten seconds left on the clock switched the soon-to-be-loss into a miraculous win. The final score was 40-39. 

“I think we could improve on staying under control and dictating the pace of our next game against St. Teresa’s,” Karlin said. 

On a different note, many COVID-19 precautions are currently in effect this season to ensure the safety of the players, coaches, and audience members. With adjustments such as wearing a mask during practice and the possibility of quarantine looming overhead, withholding a positive mindset throughout the season is half the battle. However, according to Senior Shannon Karlin the hardest change to accept has been the restricted number of fans, which affects the energy and atmosphere of each game. This especially plays a part during rivalry games such as this one. 

“The hardest adjustment due to COVID precautions is definitely the lack of fans,” Karlin said. “It’s a whole different atmosphere playing STA and not being able to have all of our classmates there to cheer us on.” 

The team will be spending the next six weeks preparing play their second rivalry game against St. Teresa’s on Feb. 18. This game will be played on St. Teresa’s court. With most of the season left to play, the players plan on on spending the next six weeks practicing and improving, so when it comes time to play St. Teresa’s again, they’ll be ready. 

“Before our next game against St. Teresa’s, I want to improve on our defensive rotations,” Brinkman said. “As well as the amount of turnovers we give away.