November 7 kicked off the start of the girls’ basketball season. After last year ending the season in heartbreak losing to Lewis Central in regional final, seniors Sydney Bertman and Allie Cook are looking to lead the charge. The girls look to continue to improve on top of their unexpected season last year.

With new seasons comes lots of new changes. The biggest change comes in the coaching position. Rick Dillinger, who has also turned the softball program into a class 4A powerhouse, is the new head coach for the Tigers.

After two days of practice, Bertman has already noticed a lot changes. “Instead of getting on the line to run at the start of practice, we grab a ball and work on our drills.  It’s a big change but something that is going to help us,” 

Finishing the season strong is all that matters in high school basketball but one thing Bertman wants to work on is getting off to a strong start, so the girls can have a better seed for regional play. Trust is going to help them with that hot start.

“We have to trust the coach and we have to trust each other,” said Bertman

The coach has a great history coaching winning teams in basketball and softball; Dillinger knows how to get the girls in winning form. As for the team, they have lots of young talented stars and with strong leadership, they could go a long way.

Girls basketball kicks things off on November 18 against Des Moines Christian at home.