The Varsity girls basketball team at Shen is on a roll. The team is heading into the post season as the number one seed.
Their success isn’t getting to their heads, however. According to Junior, Bronwyn Foulke, they go into every game with the underdog mentally so that they play their hardest regardless of the opponents skill level.
Currently, the girls are locked in and preparing to win the sectional title at the end of the season.
“We are just taking it game by game but we really want to win sectionals and then hopefully regionals and states,” said senior Gabby Stuart. This is their ultimate goal.
But to do this, these athletes have to take down their hardest opponents, Albany and Colonie. By beating Albany, they’ve already made strides in the right direction..
Stuart says Albany is one of their most difficult rivals because of their aggressive game play. But this isn’t the first season where this team has been a problem for Shen.
“I am nervous about losing in the sectional final because during my Sophomore year we lost to Albany in the sectional finals even though we beat them in the regular season, so I just want to win it all,” said Stuart.
To make sure the team holds their record, their practices consist of working on new things daily, both physically and mentally.
“Skill set wise we’re working on rebounding, but each game we’re focusing on staying in the moment and concentrating on the present instead of the past,” said Foulke.
The team’s connection also allows their practice goals to become a reality, and it shows on the court.
Stuart said that the team is like a family because they see each other at least every day. This allows them to give each other proper feedback without fear of hurt feelings, and support that many teams don’t have.
As the regular season comes to an end and as sectionals grows near, the athletes’ excitement is expanding. With their standings, it’s very probable that the season will end in success.
“With our win against Albany, we are seated first in sectionals and we bye the first round. So hopefully that will allow us to get more practice in and stay fresher for all the big games that we want to win,” said Foulke.
With their loss to Albany in sectionals in 2022 and getting taken out last year due to a player injury, the girls are eager to take the title this year.
The first post season game is scheduled for Feb. 29 at Hudson Valley Community College.
