The Skyline women’s basketball team didn’t allow any hurdles to slow them down this season, despite encountering plenty of them.

Perseverance is one of the most accurate words that I have gathered to describe this squad and their mentality towards the game of basketball. Regardless of the circumstances, this roster was determined to circumvent the obstacles and work hard to win games.

One of the captains of the team, Tatiana Newsome, emphasized the persistence that this group displayed throughout the season. “We don’t give up even if we may be down by a lot,” Newsome said. “We still won’t give up.”

Coach Chris Watters also spoke about this team’s endurance when, from what it felt like, they were fighting a continuous uphill battle. “I feel like this group, more than past years, has faced a lot of adversity in terms of injury, illness, and things like that,” Watters said. “It seems like we could never get our full group together with everything that’s gone on, but being able to tackle that adversity head-on has made us a better team.”

Chemistry is a vital aspect of being part of a successful team.

However, connecting on the court becomes difficult to fulfill when spending time with your teammates turns limited. That is a challenge that this group was presented with, but they fought to not let that prevent them from playing the game as one cohesive unit.

Camila Solari-Chaman, a sophomore on the team, discussed how this group plays a very selfless brand of basketball, which led them to more success this season. “We’re unselfish on the court,” Solari-Chaman said. “A lot of us like to pass the ball. We like to find the better shot.”

Basketball is a game where teamwork is extremely necessary. Having good connections with teammates on the court can stem from having good relationships off the court, and that has been evidently portrayed from players on this roster.

Another captain from this team, Lala Lautaimi, describes the fun relationships she has with her teammates and how it helps the chemistry of the club. “We’re a funny team,” Lautaimi said. “We all have our jokes and mess around with each other, but we also know when it’s time to be serious.”

When good relationships are formed amongst teammates, playing the game together feels more fluid. Over the course of the year, this team has grown together and boosted different aspects of their game.

“I think one thing that we do really well as a team is our adaptability,” Watters said. “We’re able to adapt and adjust to different opponents and change the way we play. That allows us to have some contributions from everybody. Every player, as an individual, has helped us win a game this year.”

Highs and lows are prevalent in any sports team’s journey. How you carry yourself through the highs and how you react and push through the lows can determine how your season will end up. This team had a roller coaster of a year, but they kept fighting all the way until the end. This is not a team that I would want to play against come playoff time.