La Salle’s junior varsity girls basketball team has finished off the season undefeated, even in taking down their rival Wilsonville.

“It feels amazing to be undefeated. We are playing our game and it’s paying off. It always feels good to get that dub,” freshman Allie Ball said. 

“It’s nice to win by 60, but it’s definitely more fun to beat teams like Hillsboro or Wilsonville,” sophomore post and wing Maria Cedros said. 

Throughout the season, JV coach Nechele Bradshaw had always encouraged the team to keep going and to push past any difficulties they face on the court. 

While coach Bradshaw is new to coaching at La Salle, she has been coaching basketball itself for over ten years. “I am thrilled beyond measure to be here,” she said. 

Coach Bradshaw believes that the most important building block to a team is culture, and admires Varsity coach Kelli Wedin for all of her work when creating a positive environment for the team. “I know how hard it is to build a culture, so to see what [coach Wedin has] done is amazing,” she said.

This sense of teamwork is prevalent throughout the entire team. 

“We’re a family, we’re not really a team you know,” freshman Yendora Young said, who plays as a point guard for the team. “People don’t realize there’s more to basketball than practice and games. You got to have the chemistry with your team, and you got to be dedicated to the sport.”

Honing their skills will be crucial for next season, as many girls want to be a part of the varsity team. “If we want to get to where we’re going to be at, then we have to put in the extra work and go past the minimum,” Young said. 

While basketball is often seen as an emotional and physical release for the women on the team, when it’s combined with the friendships they’ve made over the season, it makes all of their sacrifices worth it. “It’s hard to do home stuff, school stuff, [and] basketball stuff. It’s hard to cope with everything, but I mean when you enjoy doing the sport it’s easier to let things go when you’re on the court,” Young said.