The Middle School Girls Basketball team held tryouts on Tuesday, October 10 for their upcoming season. Since then they have prepared as well as played five games this season, the first being on November 1 against Marshfield.
Mckenna Zanzie (8), a member of the middle school girls basketball team, said that the team is working and preparing for this season by, “ … practicing every day after or before school.”
Their practices are held Monday through Friday during the weeks they do not have games.
The practices vary from after school to before school at 6am. Zanzie explained, “We condition and do drills to help us become better and more skilled players.”
The team is head coached by Carrie Green, a middle school ELA teacher at Fair Grove. Green added that the girls were, “ … pushing each other to get better, and have done a good job of focusing and listening, and then trying to apply what we are telling them.”
Green stated that for this basketball season her goals for the team included learning new skills that will help them during games, getting better with each game, and lastly have fun playing their sport.
Throughout the practices as well as games, Zanzie explained the team’s greatest strengths are, “… that we move the ball well around the court. We are smart with where we put the ball, and we have been playing with each other since we were in elementary school so that helped a lot with trusting each other.”
According to Green, the 8th graders on the team have proven to be good role models for their younger teammates.
Zanzie commented, “One of our biggest weaknesses is that we do not have many players.” She furthermore explained, “Last year we only played with six for half of the season. This year we have seven, which is still not that many girls.”
Green commentated on her favorite part of the season by stating, “It’s the girls! I love being around them and teaching them about the game of basketball. Even if they don’t continue playing in high school, I believe they are learning valuable skills that will help them in life.”
The Fair Grove Middle School Girls Basketball team will continue their season with the MLC tournament on November 17.
