As the winter sports seasons comes to a close, girls’ basketball finished their season with a final record of 9-16. Although it may not be considered a “winning season,” it is a major improvement from years prior as this is the first time in six seasons that the girls have had this many wins.

While there are many underclassmen that will be returning next season, there are several players that will not be due to the fact that they are graduating. The class of 2017 girls basketball seniors include Liz Reilly, Courtney Neary, Kristen Andreychak, and Bridget Bergen.

“My teammates were the best part of the season, as we were very close both on and off the court; we worked hard to have great team chemistry in order to build the program back up from seasons prior,” Reilly said when asked about her favorite aspect of basketball this year.

Additionally, there were many stat leaders this season. Scoring leaders include freshmen Dani Pescatore, who made 51 baskets, senior Kristen Andreychak, who made 48 baskets, and junior Olivia Buckman, who made 44 baskets. Three-point leaders this season include freshman Dani Pescatore, who made 28, while junior Olivia Buckman made 25 three-point baskets.

According to head coach Ian Progin, the team’s goals that were established at the beginning of the season were exceeded.

“I thought that we improved as the season went on,” Progin said. “One of the goals that we set for this season was to win three games in a row, which was quickly met.”

Looking forward to next season, Progin thinks that the team needs to increase its speed, cut down on turnovers, improve on rebounding and individual skills in order for the program to continue to grow. With that being said, congratulations to Lady Raiders Basketball for a great season, and good luck to the team in the future.