With two wins already underway, the girls varsity basketball team looks forward to the rest of the season with a team made up of experienced players as well as new competitive athletes who are just looking for a sport to participate in at MHS.

One of the team’s more experienced players, Rachel Tipperreiter, senior, said, “I’m looking forward to playing my last season of basketball on this team because there is so much positive energy and genuine love for the game that makes every practice and game super fun.”

She continued to say that she expects success and an improvement this season.

A teammate of Tipperreiter, Morgan Frank, freshman, is new to the team and has plenty to look forward to also.

“One thing I am looking forward to is being able to bond with my teammates on the court,” said Frank, who also did not think this would be a problem because of the “loving and caring attitudes of [her] teammates.”

This season’s varsity team has already competed in a tournament in the recent weeks prior to Thanksgiving. The tournament took place in their home gym after school and over the weekend.

The team started off with a 37-35 win against Highland Park, followed by a loss against Carmel Catholic. However, on Wednesday they picked themselves back up for another victory– this time against Grant. The next two days resulted in two losses against Grayslake North, ending with a score of 40-31, and Glenbrook South 51-26.

Another player for the team, Sarah Ouimet, senior, was overall happy and proud of her teammates regarding the outcome they had during these games: “Our team did pretty well at the tournament, and I’m proud of that.”

The team still has nearly 22 games left before the season comes to an end, and they are all hoping for a good outcome during those games. As of now, the team’s record consists of 2 wins and 3 losses; they are aiming for that first number to rise and the second to remain the same for as long as possible.

Frank, who played prior to coming to MHS compared her school experience with her three years at Limitless International, a basketball program she has played at for three years.

“The atmosphere that surrounds the team is different, but it’s much better playing for this team,” she said.

According to Frank and her teammates, the team’s connection is growing and developing more and more every day.

“Everyone is friendly to each other, and we can talk to each other in confidence,” she said.

Tipperreiter agrees with Frank’s opinion on this matter.

“I feel that I fit in with everyone, along with everyone else. A special thing about our team is that there aren’t any cliques. We have a freshman on our team, and she is just as much a part of the team,” said Tipperreiter in reference to Frank.  “We are a very welcoming team, so I feel that we all fit in with each other.”

And many of the team members find something positive about their basketball experience, even in times of difficulty.

“I enjoy the different skills needed in basketball other than some of the other sports the high school offers,” said Ouimet. “I love how basketball requires you to be fast on your feet, make quick decisions, be able to dribble and shoot the ball, and be a team player at the same time.”

She continued her statement by furthering the reasons as to why she chose to play this sport rather than another.

“Basketball isn’t easy,” she said, “And that’s one of the things I love about it.”

Team members have already faced certain hardships and were quick to fix them as soon as they possibly could.

“Our team wasn’t playing the best that we could during one game,” Frank said about the Thanksgiving tournament. “But the next game, we came back stronger and were able to pull out a win.”

Additionally, most of the girls on the team come from different backgrounds; for instance, Frank played for Limitless International, whereas Ouimet played for an Amateur Athletic Union team in sixth and seventh grade but then turned to the Mundelein Feeder team. Tipperreiter had a similar experience to Ouimet; however, their paths to their current team had differences.

“I have played for a couple different teams outside of school. Before high school, I played on the Mundelein Feeder team. I also played Kessel Heat for a couple years, but this past year, I played for an AAU team called Always Get Better, or AGB, and I couldn’t have had a better experience on that team,” said Tipperreiter.

They all have fairly similar plans for their future, too. While Frank aims to play in college, Tipperreiter wants to play club either at her chosen college or afterwards and is even considering coaching a team of her own someday. Ouimet is considering playing in college and planning on incorporating basketball into her future.

Before that future occurs, though, the team members work to balance their six practices a week and their game schedules with their social calendars and their school work.

“I have to look forward in my schedule to see if I will have any big tests on a certain day that we might have a game on, and I make sure to study before or do any homework before that game,” said Frank.

Tipperreiter handles the balancing conflicts similarly.

“For me, basketball kind of becomes my social life during the season,” she said. “I love to spend time with my teammates, so we’ll often spend time together outside of practice or going to support the boys basketball team.”

She admitted that balancing school work during basketball season gets a little more challenging.

“Throwing school into the mix is a little more difficult. I tend to do my homework after practice, and our coach really helps us out a lot by allowing us to go to his classroom before practice and do homework if we need the extra time,” she said, but like her teammates, she believe that the struggles she faces are only minor setbacks and that the difficulties can all be overcome.

She said, “When you play for other teams you still play with pride, but there’s something different about representing Mundelein High School.”