The St. Dominic ladies basketball team tipped off their season at the Troy Pepsi Invitational on Tuesday, December 1 against Holt. It was rough starting the season suffering a 28-point defeat, but the outcome was only motivation to do better in their next game. The team bounced back on Thursday night with a hard fought 44-42 win against Troy. Although the Crusaders did not take home the tournament trophy, they are now ready to step up for the rest of the season. The team believes that the key to their success will come from leadership on and off the court.

Coach Jeff Menke has already seen leadership begin to develop. Beginning his second season as the varsity girls basketball head coach, Coach Menke  has been able to watch his players grow over the past year. The girls have shown dedication to the game they love. During the off season, over the summer and into the fall, the team has been working hard in the weight room and at open gyms. Someone who has really stepped up her game is Alex Cook, the only senior on the team.

“I see leadership in her by the example she sets, especially in the off season and always being at everything. She is always stressing the importance of how much you have to work in the off season to be ready for regular season,” said Coach Menke.

Cook, being on varsity for all four years, knows the importance of leadership. Her role has changed greatly since freshman year and she has gained more confidence since then. However, she feels more pressure because she has no one with whom to share the senior leadership position. Cook pushes herself to be a better player every day, in hopes that the rest of the team will follow her example.

“It is extremely important to have leaders on the floor because everything is more organized and we are able to feed off each other’s energy. When one player steps up, we all do,” said Cook.

The team is facing adversity at the beginning of the season with many injuries but they are battling through it. No matter what challenges they face, they are going to push through it together. Each player has a key role on this team that she must uphold.

“We are a team; we push each other, stick together, and support each other. We have so much potential. The season is just beginning. Our hard work is going to start paying off,”  said junior Madeline Bauer.

Coach Menke and Cook are both looking forward to seeing the rest of the team grow and improve throughout the season. The team is excited to see what the season has in store for them!