Even though the girls fell to Churchill in the regional final last year, they still had a successful season under head coach Maggie Dyer. With star senior point guard Kaitlin Mariani running the show, senior Allie Museles back from injury, and the last-minute addition of American Ninja Warrior participant senior Karen Potts, the team has a lot to look forward to this season.

The girls had a great record last year, finishing second in the region, and were largely considered one of the best teams in the county. After losing star senior Caitlyn Kwan, the girls will need to make up a lot of scoring production. Senior Sere Doumbouya was also a starter and was an essential part of the team’s defense and rebounding. By losing these two key players there was also a lot of leadership lost. Expect Dyer to look at Mariani and Museles to pick up the leadership duties.

Museles has been an integral part of the team for the last four years, even though she has been unable to be on the court. Museles has gone through three serious injuries in her first three years on the team, all of which forced her to miss the whole season. Now she finally has a chance to get on the floor and contribute to winning on the court, not just off of it. “I’m so excited to be able to actually play this season. I loved supporting the team from the sidelines and in the locker room, but now I feel healthy and ready to play,” senior Museles said.

Another key piece for the girls team has been senior point guard Mariani. She has been the starting point guard for varsity all four years of high school. This is an incredibly rare accomplishment, that not a lot of players can say they did. This has given Dyer stability in her backcourt, and it also gives her a leader who has been through many in-game situations, which makes her easier to trust. Mariani is also ready to go for tonight’s home opener against Northwest. “Ever since the loss last year to Churchill, I have been waiting and waiting for basketball season and it’s finally here. I’m excited to see how the team fits together this year. We have all the pieces we need to be competitive in our division, and hopefully, make a run to the state tournament bracket,” Mariani said.

After missing a season due to Covid, Mariani speaks for the whole senior class when saying how excited she is for this last opportunity to play for her school. Senior Jiya Mohale agreed and said, “I’m really excited for our first game and for this whole season.”