After finishing last year with a 4-21 record last year, the girls basketball team looked forward to a change. Not only did they get a change in their district, but their record of 7-4 is a fresh change for the new season. And although four new members are on the team and the bus rides have more than doubled to get to games, the team has been able to overcome its with high hopes

“We’re already doing better in the first month than we did all year last year,” forward Victoria Morales said. “But that means there’s a lot of expectations on my part, being one of the seniors and having a lot of my younger teammates look up to me.”

The team’s record has been bolstered by its leading scorer and team captain, Morales. She not only scored double digits in nine games, but has led the team to a 41-37 win against Viera Beach on Dec. 3 with 17 points, a 56-22 win against Lyman with 18 points and a 55-24 win over Lake Howell with 22 points.

Morales also finished the game against Celebration with 26 points and a triple double, putting up 10 or more points, rebounds and steals.
Junior Tori Munro scored 12 points against Lake Howell, leading to a 55-24 win, and freshman Megan Reilly rallied the team in its 49-39 loss to Oviedo with 16 points.

“It feels good knowing that all the effort I, and the rest of the team, put into the games shows,” Morales said.

Like football, volleyball and boys basketball, the girls basketball team competes in a new district this year. After the school did not have enough students to qualify for the 8A district, the team now plays in 7A; competing against teams such as Celebration, Harmony and Liberty.

“We’re doing really well this season, even though our new district means we have to go on super long bus rides before the games,” Morales said. “It hasn’t disrupted our play, but it can be tiring.”

If anything, the extended travel time has helped to unite the team. Although they mostly sleep and do homework, their time on the road forges close relationships on the road that extend to the court.

“It’s difficult sometimes to balance being a student athlete,” Munro said. “The longer bus rides can be hard, but we try to do our homework while we can.”

In addition to a close group, even with four new team members, the team has surpassed its expectations and set high goals for the rest of the season.

While all of their games in January are away with, the exception of Lake Mary at home on Jan. 12, the rest of their December games are home. The team plays Masters Academy on Dec. 18 and St. Cloud on Dec. 12.

Their next game will be a rematch against Celebration High School at home on Dec. 10.