In high school sports, no feeling is better than triumphing over a bitter rival.

Last Friday, the Girls JV basketball team faced off against conference rival Forest Hills Northern. The team battled to the end and ended up coming out on top in a low-scoring, defensive game. 

The Rangers took down the Huskies 36-29 thanks to a big game from Addison Rueter, who scored 10 points. Aside from Addison, Mia Stibitz had 6 points, while Claire Marvin and Maggie Kelderman both notched 5 points. 

Although the team gained a win on Friday, the 2021-2022 season has not been an easy one for the Lady Rangers; they have been working hard on the fundamentals to get the team back on track. Now that they are operating on a positive note, the team morale is clearly moving upward. An enormous part of the game is the attitude and mindset of the players. 

“When we all build each other up and focus on what we can do better, usually we do better in games,” sophomore Gigi Sinicrope said.

Aside from the win on Friday, there is some fresh news with the team this past week. While both the JV and freshman teams have had some injuries and sicknesses, the teams have decided to combine. This is an outstanding opportunity for the younger girls to get experience at the JV level; however, it also benefits a few JV players that are now able to get a chance to play at the varsity level. 

As the coaches made the decision to combine and cancel the rest of the freshman season, they have the future of Lady Ranger basketball in mind. While the lack of a freshman team is not ideal, the girls will be pushed at a higher level, furthering their personal development as basketball players.

The girls’ next game is against Northview on Tuesday, January 18, at 5:30 at home.