by Katie Hill
The York Suburban Girls’ Basketball team has braved its way to yet another postseason position. The team finished its regular season with a record of 17-4. This high scoring record gained them a spot at county play-offs as well as an 8th seed position in AAA which granted them the chance to play at districts.
The team won its first postseason game against Susquenita 53-28 and continued in the postseason with a 34-24 victory against Berks Catholic on Saturday, Feb. 20. Their next game is on Tuesday in Manheim Township against Elco.
Coach Jessica Barley has taken several teams to postseason the past few years, but considers this year’s a special one.
“We are far from satisfied and certainly have a lot of room for continued growth and improvement, but specifically, this group of seniors and juniors deserve a lot of credit for helping to turn this program into a contender year in and year out,” said Barley.
To achieve the record they have, YSGB has had to put a lot of time into other teams and focussing on defeating them. Now, in postseason, their approach is a bit different.
“We are capable of competing with anyone; however, our biggest challenge may be remembering to focus on ourselves…It is about not worrying as much about our opponents. At this point in the post-season, it’s about focusing on us,” said Barley.
“At this point in the season, every team we play is good. There are no more easy wins. Staying focussed on each game is crucial because there’s no margin for error, so I think our biggest challenge as a team will be valuing each possession,” said junior Parker Faircloth-Henise.
“We have a long stretch of practices before we play, so our number one job right now is to just continue to get better every day at practice. Great teams find ways to continue to get better every day, even in the post-season,” said Barley.
One of the main focusses of YSGB is getting the entire team involved and motivating each player.
“I’m looking forward to winning the rest of our games and getting hype on the bench during the game and just having fun with the team,” said sophomore Kennedy McKee.
Barley has also decided to bring up two freshman players, Elise Mears and Anna Williams, to play with the team during postseason.
“It’s a new experience that’s sometimes a bit intimidating because I don’t want to mess up but I’m learning a lot,” said freshman Anna Williams.
“We’re all in this together – all sports, all coaches and all student-athletes. Post-season opportunities for all of our sports programs are a great opportunity to show our sense of YS passion and pride,” said Barley.