As the SHS girl’s basketball 2023-24 regular season comes to an end, all signs point to a very bright future.
While the team struggled to put wins on the board at the beginning of the season, recently, they went on an 8-3 win stretch with wins against Sauk Prairie, Lakeside Lutheran, Waterford, Portage, and Middleton. Junior forward Gretchen Tangeman believes these wins have to do with the team’s attitude.
“I think we have won more games recently because of the increase in energy. Everyone, both on and off the court, has brought energy this past stretch of games,” Tangeman said. “This has helped us close the point gaps in many games when a lot of teams would get down on themselves.”
The team started the season with one goal in mind.
“At the beginning of the season, we were hoping to work together as a team and get a good win. As the season continues and our record has started to show our true potential, our [goal] has not changed,” Tangeman said.
Junior guard Ella Hamacher has played basketball since elementary school and believes it’s not only about the game but also the
camaraderie. “I’ve played [basketball] with a lot of these girls since I was really young, and it’s been so fun to see how far we’ve come together and continue to get better. Basketball has been in my life for so long, and continuing to play brings me a lot of joy, new experiences, and core friends,” Hamacher said.
Hamacher also believes that the team has accomplished many things this season.
“We were able to pick ourselves up in the second half of the season and have been consistently winning,” Hamacher said.
Both players agree that the team has come a long way since the beginning of the season. The team came together to perform their best.
“Our dynamic has changed over the season because of how we grew together. There were a lot of changes in players this season, both losing seniors and gaining some new underclassmen. We had to learn to trust each other and the skills that each of us has,” Tangeman said. “Once we started to trust and rely on each other, we were able to start accomplishing amazing things.”
Although playoff games differed from regular games, practice for the team remained the same.
“Our typical practice consists of everyone pushing each other to get better. This has not changed going into the postseason tournament,” Tangeman said. “Even with the season coming to a close, each and every player shows up to practice and brings everything they have. Everyone is always trying to make the person next to them a better player.”
Stoughton received a No. 7 seed for the tournament and hosted Fort Atkinson at home in the regional quarterfinal on Feb. 20. They won 47-38, with Hamacher leading the team in points, scoring 14.
Unfortunately, the season came to an end on Feb. 2 after a 70-54 loss against McFarland.
Overall, the team has overcome many challenges and is happy with how the season has turned out. Hopes are high for next year’s season.
“There are so many things that we hope to accomplish next season both as a team and individually,” Tangeman said “Overall, we hope to start the season next year as strong as we finished the season this year.”
