By Young Se Choi ’18, Staff Writer

The Newark Academy Girls’ Basketball Team has dominated these past two years with an overall record of 45-8. Prior to these seasons, Newark Academy was never known for its girls’ basketball program; however, now, Newark Academy has one of the most elite private school basketball programs in the entire state. Some might wonder, when did this “hot streak” start?

It all started during 2012-2013 season, otherwise known as “The Year of the Banner.” During this season, the girls’ basketball team had an outstanding overall record of 24 wins and 3 losses, giving them their first banner in Newark Academy girls basketball history. This impressive season allowed the team to finish second overall in the Non-Public North B State Tournament. The following season, the girls’ basketball team finished with an overall record of 21 wins and 5 losses.

Looking into the upcoming season, the Newark Academy community has high expectations for the team. However, what most people don’t know is that the team has moved up to an even more competitive conference. While some might think that the Minutemen might struggle in this competitive conference, Jocelyn Willoughby ’16, the leading scorer for the team, thinks otherwise. She said, “We have done it before and we can do it again. We’ve had success in the past and we can continue this momentum throughout the season.” As you can see, momentum is on their side as is their confidence. Their ability to continue this momentum and success will carry them throughout the season, allowing the team to thrive on the court.

On any high school sports team, freshmen are an essential part of the team as they are the “future” of the program. According to Jocelyn, the freshmen look quite “promising” and many players on the team think the same. Freshmen, Maddy Mudrick ’18, entering her first year of girls’ basketball, thinks that she and other freshmen can contribute to the team. She said, “It is my first year so I don’t expect much playing time; however, I will try to do well on the court and do what I have to do.” The positive attitude and hard work from Maddy will certainly contribute to the team and help them win games in a tough conference.

As much as the freshmen are important on the team, if not more important, are the captains. In any sports program, the captains play an essential role on the team as they are the leaders. This year, the captains of the team are seniors Hernell Gabriel ’15 and Rachel Neiman ’15.

The captains will undoubtedly do a great job motivating the team when things get hard and the chips are down. They will encourage the girls to work harder which ultimately makes for a better team.

The Newark Academy girls’ basketball team is a force. Each year, the team gets better and improves drastically. Many members of the team have great chemistry together on and off the court. Lydia Yeshitla ‘17 thinks that, “There is a really strong energy on the team and our confidence level is high.”

It is highly probable that this confidence can carry the girls basketball team to a winning overall record. With the addition of new freshmen and a team with the ability to work together, there is no reason why the girls’ basketball team won’t succeed in a tough conference this upcoming season.