Geneva High School’s girls’ basketball team has remained a force to be reckoned with for the past 10 years, always finishing in the top 3 of their conference and wining state twice back-to-back. This year has proved no different with the girls finishing 1^st in their conference, undefeated, for the second year in a row.

“This team plays really well together, and we have talent at every position,” Varsity Coach Sarah Meadows said. “They play well in big moments against tough competition, and they believe in each other and trust each other.

The girls’ basketball team is not slowing down one bit. Their 2022-2023 post-season started Tuesday, February 14^th with a fierce 65-25 victory against the Bartlett Hawks. The girls continued that power later into the week on Friday, February 17^th, dominating the court and securing a regional championship against Conant High School.

“This year is a special year because we have the potential to go far,” Senior Starter Lauren Slagle said. “Last year and the years before our team was good but was missing the team connection at times. This year I think we’re all more mature and we have grown together. We have a lot of vets on the team that can handle with the pressure and the environment.”

The girls have high hopes for this post-season and are very determined, while keeping a humble attitude and focusing on one game at a time.

“We have almost the same team as last year but this year we are using what we know from last year to emphasis our strengths for this post-season,” Senior Starter Rilee Hasegawa said.

The girls are not changing much going into their post-season as opposed to any games during their regular season. No need to fix what’s not broken.

“Same mentality,” Meadows said.

It’s clear this team is close and is probably a factor to their success. The love these girls have for each other, on and off the court, is easily seen.

“My favorite thing about this season is when the team hangs out or eats together,” Hasegawa said. “We always laugh, and everyone gets along.”

These girls have not only built a strong connection with each other but have just as strong of a connection with their head coach, Meadows.

‘My favorite thing about this team is the coaching staff and how close our whole program is,” Slagle said.

Just like her players, Meadows appreciates the tight bonds she’s built with the team.

“I am a relationship person,” she said. “I love getting to know my kids and supporting them and helping them.  I love the relationships I have built with past players and new players.  I am probably biased but I have the opportunity to work with a great group of girls every day and I just love spending time with them.”

The Geneva Girls’ basketball team is truly extraordinary, and their connections and mentality can put a smile on anyone’s face; their incredible success is just an added bonus. Regardless of the future, the girls have had an incredibly strong season and have goals of not stopping any soon.