Every single minute from the tip-off to the final buzzer, girls’ basketball has been contributing their best efforts in the last few games and the results have shown. The last five games have resulted in four wins and only one loss, which included their first 3-0 winning streak of the season.
After a small rough patch of losing two games in a row, the team bounced back in style taking their record from 4-4 to a solid 7-4 on the season.
The first game of their turning point, which also happened to be the biggest, took place on Dec. 21 when they traveled to Churchill with plans to defeat their rival school.
The Patriots came into the game confident and prepared, which proved to be true in the end when they bested the Bulldogs in a close game. Just as expected, the game was an intense one, with constant lead chances, but the Patriots were able to come out on top with a 55-52 score.
Each player was ecstatic with the big win. “It feels great to win a rivalry game, it showed that we are better and will always be better than Churchill,” senior point guard Laura Darby said.
It was on to the next one for the girls except this time it was a tournament game in which they would compete. The girls traveled to JM Bennett High School where they would take on Southern Garret High School. The Patriots showcased their skills to the Rams and they were able to secure a tight 64-58 victory.
The next game was something different from the rest of the season. On Dec. 28, the girls competed in the Governor’s Challenge, which is the largest holiday high school basketball tournament on the East Coast. The girls were excited to partake in a selective tournament. “It’s cool that we were invited to the Governor’s Challenge, it shows that we’re a top team,” senior point guard Emma Weinstein said.
Although the games don’t count towards the team’s overall record, the Patriots were still able to pull out one 52-41 win over Stephen Decatur High School.
Back to the regular season, the girls hosted the Richard Montgomery Rockets on Jan. 3. Richard Montgomery is a strong team with an overall record of 8-3, close to the Patriots’. The game was close and evenly matched one, but in the end the girls fell short to the Rockets with a score of 66-57.
The most recent of the games took place on Jan. 10, where the girls hosted Rockville. The Patriots displayed their dominance over the Rams and were able to win by a landslide. Junior point guard Katie Mikalis helped lead the team in points, reaching a season high of 17 points. “I feel really happy to help my team win in the best way I can,” Mikalis said. “Hopefully next game I can beat my personal best again.” Things were also on point on the defensive side of things with senior power forward Shannon Welty grabbing 14 rebounds on the night. The final score of the game was 65-34.
Now that the girls have obtained a strong 7-4 record, the team will look to continuously improving their record. The Patriots’ next game will take place on Jan. 13 against Whitman, too late be covered in this issue.

Alex Bellot

Sports Editor