Basketball season is officially underway. So far the competitive spirit has been shown on the court, whether it be the freshman team, JV, or Varsity. All three of the teams have had a good start to the season so far, and they will continue to chase their goals for both themselves as individual athletes as well as their team this season.
The freshman team has an unbeaten record this season, besting Monarch and Pueblo West. These young have focused on continuing to develop their skills without losing their competitive edge. Ty Young (9), a member of the freshman team, laid out the team’s goals for this season: “our goal is to go undefeated this season, but also build chemistry for next year.” Young has played basketball since a young age, and enjoys the feelings of both “calm and the chaos” that only the game can provide. Young encourages any student at Pine Creek to attend their games. “It would really help our team win,” said Ty. “Especially the atmosphere. And you get to build the community for Pine Creek.”
The JV team has started the season with a record of 1 and 2. But even through some tough times, the team has stayed resilient and focused on their mission. Coach Spencer McCue said he thinks the team’s greatest strength is their resiliency. “We’re not necessarily scrappy, but we rarely give up, especially this year,” McCue said. “That’s been a problem with some teams in the past, but this year I don’t feel that.”
As the season ramps up, players work hard towards achieving team and individual goals. “I want to grow on the defensive end, just getting better at playing defense and then keeping up with my offense as well,” said JV play Rhythm Kasat (10). On the team front, Kasat says, “Just staying disciplined and getting low and staying in front of [the other team],” is the biggest area of improvement needed.
Similarly, the 1 and 2 Varsity team has recognized the need for consistent intensity at every point of the season. McCue said the team’s greatest weakness lies in their ability to “show up day after day after day after day, and maintain the same level of intense competition every single day.”
Still, the team is confident in their abilities. “I’m confident that we’ve worked a lot on defense, and we have a lot of options to put up with whatever they plan on knowing us,” said Rylan Hallam (12).
Together, the Varsity team sets their standard high. Abram Stern (12) said their goal is to “get the team’s first playoff win and win the league this year.”
All three teams will be taking a break from playing during Christmas break. The teams look forward to taking a .The next varsity game will be at one of Pine Creek’s biggest rivals: Liberty. The game will take place at 7 p.m. on Friday, January 16th. Tickets are available for purchase on pinecrek.ludus.com.
