The buzzer sounded in the Dome as the girl’s basketball team beat New Trier on Dec. 10, marking the starting point of a successful season.  

The team has had a promising season, featuring victories against Evanston and New Trier, senior Captain Anna Durow said. As the team prepares for the end of the season, Durow emphasized the girls’ efforts to encourage each other on and off the court, shining through when the team faces adversity in a game. 

 “On the sidelines we cheer on our team,” Durow said. “It helps the players on the court play better because there is somebody on their side, cheering for them.” 

Speed and camaraderie have given South the upper hand in games, junior guard Katie McGurn said. The team rebounds quickly and overall maintains a quick pace which helps while playing defense against bigger and stronger players, she said. 

“We know being [a quicker team we need] communication,” McGurn said. “We push the ball [to], get fast breakaway layups. We like to move the ball and attack.”

Durow said the girls practice hard to build their strength to help them fight their way through a demanding conference schedule. Everything from in-game simulations to watching videos of opponents has helped the team prepare mentally and physically. 

“We all work hard during practice to make sure that what we do during practice mimics what we do in the game,” Durow said. “We also lift [weights] a lot so we are able to be stronger than our opponents. We try not to goof around or be silly when it comes to game time.”

Due to the competitive nature of their conference, Nemecek said the team strives for every win. If the season ended today, South would fall short of a conference title. However, Nemecek remains hopeful that the team will be able to win more games and move up in their conference. 

“We do have seven losses, but all seven are to teams that have a combined winning percentage of more than 75 percent,” Nemecek said. “We’ve seen how good we’ve become, but we also still see the progress we need to make. [If we do make the progress], we might end up winning conference.”

Nemecek emphasized the team’s improvement throughout the season and their willingness to adapt on the court. Nemecek credits the team’s flexibility, and dedicated spirit to their current success.  In addition, senior Captain Megan Flentye said this success comes from the team’s connectivity on the court. 

“[When] you know what everyone is doing on the court, it helps you win games,” Flentye said.

As the team continues through their season Durow encourages her fellow seniors to fight for their final moments on the court. 

 “This year we are all happy to be here and we want to make the most of each minute we can play the game, ” Durow said. “I think we are going to go pretty far.”