UPrep’s girls basketball team finished the season on Feb. 6. with four wins and 12 losses, including four wins and four losses in conference play. This performance from the team earned them third place in the league.
For the Pumas, the scene was set for the playoffs after a 49-25 loss to Granite Falls on senior night to end the regular season.
“Going into the playoffs, I was feeling very confident that on a good day, these are teams that we could easily beat if we stuck to the things that we knew how to do,” coach Marcie Hendricks said.
The Pumas played Tyee High School in the first game of the playoffs 49-28 on Feb. 9, lost, and were eliminated from the rest of the tournament.
“It was not anticipated to be a rough year,” coach Marcie Hendricks said. “I don’t think anybody anticipates a rough year.”
The performance difference between this year and last year was evident. Not showcased by the stats, but by the team itself.
“We did lose some really good talent last year that brought a lot of heart and dedication to the team,” Hendricks said.
UPrep was booted from the playoffs by Granite Falls in the second round last year with a narrow 42-38 loss. This year, they felt the loss of the same 11th and 12th grade leadership that helped last year’s squad succeed.
“As compared to last year, we didn’t have a leader that really helped us up,” Hendricks said. “We had some leaders on our team, but it was leading basketball skill-wise versus being able to pump up the team and really get them motivated.”
Despite their struggles, the abundance of ninth-grade talent on the team provides hope for the future.
“We have a lot of potential and we’re going to be really good in a couple of years,” Jin said.
Particularly, UPrep has seen a large increase in talent at the middle school level.
“The upper school program has been working a lot with the middle school program,” Hendricks said. “There’s a lot of amazing talent coming in in the next couple of years.”
Ninth-grade point guard Athena Weyer was critical for the team this year, playing the vast majority of each of the team’s games.
“She’s an absolute leader on the court,” Hendricks said. “I’m leaning on some of our new freshmen to be leaders on the team.”
In preparing for the game against Tyee, Hendricks’ plan for the team was to stay on their tempo and play their game. In the end, Hendricks didn’t see that happen. Tyee led 25-5 at halftime, and UPrep couldn’t recover in the second half, leading to the loss. Tyee also racked up 19 steals as a team and played strong defense.
“We talked about the press, we knew what to do with the press, but we got a little bit nervous,” Hendricks said. “We defaulted to our more comfortable settings.”
Ninth grade center Grace Jin, who received first-team all-conference honors this year, scored five points and 12 rebounds. After the game, she reflected on several initial wins and how the mindset impacted the team in playoffs.
“It was a fantastic vibe, because we were really proud of what we had accomplished,” ninth grade center Grace Jin said. “At the end of the day, that kind of emotion is very short term and we need more long term grit and discipline and desire to win.”
The Pumas’ other first-team all conference athlete, junior shooting guard Bersabel Bahru, finished with four points and three steals. To her, basketball is about more than just the game.
“I’m a very closed off person. I don’t like making friends,” Bahru said. “Being at this school, being surrounded by a bunch of people that don’t look like me, I feel like this is a very important and an amazing connection to have.”
Even playing, she feels a strong connection to the team.
“I wouldn’t be a good scorer on the team without my teammates, so big thanks to them,” Bahru said. “These are my sisters, and I’m going to go out and I’m going to just play.”
Despite the playoff loss, Jin is focused on the future of the team.
“It is not okay to give up and lose before the game is over,” Jin said. “We’re going to fight until the bitter end. We determine the kind of team we build.”
