Girls varsity basketball is back in action for the Vikings, and they started their season off with a bang by beating Phillips 41-36 on Monday night.

One of the most impactful players on the team is junior forward Grace Hall. Colleges like Illinois, DePaul, Indiana and have been scouting the three-year varsity player.

When players are scouted in high school, they’re usually under more pressure to perform at their highest level, but Hall explains how she won’t be fazed by the college hype.

“I just do what I normally do. I just practice, listen to my coaches and try not to pick at it. It doesn’t matter how many offers you got. At the end of the day, you’re only going to one school,” Hall said.

Being recruited by the two of the top-25 women’s college basketball teams in the nation is remarkable as it is, but Hall is only done with half of her H-F basketball career.

Coming off of a trip to Sectionals last season, she plans to vault her team to higher levels in multiple ways, regardless of how her stats are looking.

“I’m not even worried about stats this season. If they want me to play the one, I’ll do that. If they want me to play the five, I’ll do that,” Hall said. “I’m just going to adjust to what we really need, and we’ll see what pieces fit together.”

The versatile Hall was a big impact player for the Vikings last year, and Head Coach Anthony Smith expects even more impact from his star player.

“Grace has come a long way. She’s a talented kid. She had a great season last year, and we’re looking for her to do even better this year. We’re just looking for her to dominate more often,” Smith said.

Hall is listed as a forward on paper, but she believes she changes the game regardless of her position on the court.

“I consider myself positionless, so I really do everything on the floor. If my team needs a rebounder, I’m rebounding. If my team needs a shooter, I’m shooting. I think that versatility helps us in many ways,” Hall said.

The team’s first win was filled with turnovers and fouls by both H-F and Phillips, but Hall and the Vikings were able to hold on to win.

As the season goes on, the Vikings will look to be more efficient on offense, but they will take the victory. As long as her team keeps winning games like the defensive slugfest against the Wildcats, Hall will continue to show that her stats don’t trump the team’s success.