After losing in the championship game last year, the girls basketball entered the season with the goal getting better every day and having another winning year.
     Improvement has been big part of the team’s winning record this season. Heading into the league playoffs as the No. 2 team, the Cougars are 5-3.
     “The ultimate goal is always to win the championship, but the daily goal is to just improve every game and every practice,” Coach Kim Grant said. “We want to improve on playing defense as a unit, being aggressive, and understanding how to get open and see open teammates.”
     The girls basketball team has done well at working together with the philosophy that team has not just one good player, but all players are balanced.
     “Our team strengths have been communication which is key for everyone to understand what is happening while on the court,” eighth grader Olivia McCrary said.
     The renamed Coolidge team (formerly Hohokam) has been the Cougars’ biggest competition, losing to the Cubs twice.
     “Our toughest competition so far is Coolidge,” eighth grader Addison Cooksey said. “I hope we will learn to be more aggressive on defense and to learn to run plays better.”
     The team will host Combs in the first round of the playoffs at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 1.