Women’s Basketball is ready to fight during playoffs this year after losing in the quarter finals last year to Clackamas.
This year the Crusaders have worked hard pushing through a very competitive schedule. Going into playoffs, the Women’s Basketball Team is 12-11, and ranked number 15 in state.
“This season has been very challenging. Our schedule has been one of the toughest in the state, so we have a lot of losses on our record, but they are all from teams in the top 10,” senior captain Audrey Bayless said. “We have fought and grown a lot as a team this year after losing some key pieces from last year. Everyone always gives their all and makes our team a priority. I am super hopeful and optimistic about our playoff games this week, and can’t wait to keep competing as a team for hopefully as long as possible.”
The Crusaders started off the season with lots of momentum after winning their first three games. These wins allowed the team to immediately connect and become a close knit group on and off the court.
“I think our team connected strongly early on, and we worked well together, both defensively and offensively. We have supported each other and kept a positive spirit throughout the season,” said junior Sophia Costarella.
During the PIL Holiday Classic tournament over Christmas break, Jesuit faced 3 of the top 8 teams in the state, including Jefferson, Benson, and South Medford. The team fought hard and competed well in these games, but ended up losing. Although losing is not the preferred outcome, the Crusaders grew immensely as a team during this tournament.
“Although we didn’t get the result we wanted from the PIL tournament, it was a great opportunity to learn and see the things that we needed to work on in order to improve for the rest of the season,” said junior Reese Filkins.
Jesuit went 6-4 in Metro losing to Southridge and Beaverton, with one game against Beaverton going into double overtime. These games were close and competitive, but the outcome was not in favor of the Crusaders in the end.
Jesuit Women’s Basketball is looking forward to the first round of playoffs. The team is ready to fight and compete as they have been doing the whole season. The Crusaders are hungry to play and get a win.
In the first round of playoffs, the Crusaders will face #18 West Salem at home this Tuesday, March 4. The winner of this game will play the winner of #2 Willamette or #31 Sherwood on Friday, March 7.
