Three years. Three players. One team. Juniors Crysta Haines, Aubrey Swilling and Tesah Badilla have been in the basketball program since the beginning.

                Ever since the school opened three years ago, they have been starting on the girls basketball team. Now playing in 4A for the first time, the program and the teams have changed and grown bigger.

 “Freshman year still felt like we were in middle school,” Badilla said. “Sophomore year it felt like only three people made up the team, and this year we really mesh together.”

Even though the program has grown as a whole, the varsity team is still a small, tight knit group.

“I love having a bigger program all-around because there are more people and more personalities,” Swilling said. “I like varsity to be smaller though because it’s a closer group and there is more playing time.”

As the team grew in size, they also grew as individuals.

“I realized it’s more than just about me, it’s about the team,” Swilling said. “I have to work for myself to become a better player and teammate that I want to be.”

Head coach Lori McDonald believes in not only helping her players become better basketball players, but becoming better people.

“She’s like our mother on and off the court,” Haines said. “We call her ‘Momma Coach.’ ”

Going into 4A they have many goals, including beating district rival Vandergrift.

“We play Vandergrift on December 21st,” Swilling said. “All I want for Christmas is to beat them.”

                However, beating the other team is not the only reason they play.

                “Basketball isn’t easy for me,” Swilling said. “It’s something I have to work for, so whenever something goes well I know I earned it.”

                They are also the only three returning juniors on varsity. The rest of the team is sophomores and freshmen.

                “To be honest, I don’t really think about what grade people are in,” Badilla said. “To be on varsity you have to be mature.”

                Through that maturity, every player respects one another and contributes their part to the team.

                “Every person that’s been added to the team has been added for a reason,” Swilling said. “So when they come they add something new to the team.”

                Overcoming their age differences, the varsity team meshes together and creates chemistry.

                “This year we have a lot more chemistry,” Badilla said. “We mesh kind of like cereal and milk. At first it’s still crunchy and then it gets soggy, and it tastes better when it’s soggy.”

                The varsity team seems to have high hopes for playing well together as a team this year.

                “We are all starting to put our pride aside,” Swilling said. “We’re starting to play for each other rather than ourselves.”

                They also support one another.

                “We always know what each other are going through,” Swilling said. “We are understanding, and never let our teammates hang their heads.”

                They have made a lot of memories from the past three years. Their freshman year they played Stony Point’s junior varsity team and won by one point because Badilla made eight free-throws in a row.

                “It felt amazing,” Badilla said. “The crowd was going crazy.”

Before each game they have a moment of silence, play “Pump it up” and pray. Badilla listens to the song “Kobe Bryant” and then she dribbles down the court once with her left hand and once with her right.

                “I try to forget all my problems and focus on basketball,” Badilla says. “Then I warm-up with the team and I’m ready to go.”

                Overall, they are ready to work hard and play at the 4A level.

                “I don’t think you can find another team like us,” Swilling said. “We are the closest and most dedicated team I know.”