The girls’ varsity basketball team is having a productive season with a record of 13-8 losing their most recent game against Bolingbrook High School 41-35.

The Vikings are currently on a one-game losing streak, losing against Bolingbrook but that’ll probably change soon with the amount of talent on the team. The team consists of two seniors, four juniors and two sophomores showing that they have a great mix of seasoned veterans and young talent.

But every sports team needs an optimistic leader and H-F head coach Anthony Smith has high hope and expectations for this team.

”I have been pleased with the team’s effort and energy on the court, though that doesn’t always translate to a win,” Smith said. “We are always striving to be better than we were the day before.”

The girls’ basketball team also had a lot of impressive wins this season but there are a select few that especially stand out.

“Our most notable games this season were against La Lumiere (Indiana), who we played in the Naperville Central invite early in the season,” Smith said. “We also played Westview (Tennessee) at the Nike Tournament of Champions over the holiday break.”

Through their wins, the Vikings have displayed their speed and strong defense. Smith has a lot of faith in the team going into the playoffs.“If we can sustain our energy over the course of the next few weeks, I see this team having a long, successful postseason run.”

Sophomore, Jaeda Murphy is the biggest hidden gem using her speed and court awareness to help the team stay competitive.

“She is a sophomore, so we expected that she would need time and experience to get acclimated to competing at the varsity level,” Smith said.“She rose to the occasion when our starting point guard was injured earlier in the season.”

Since the Vikings are a relatively younger team, they look to become one of the most dominant teams in the state a few years down the line.

“While some may see this as a disadvantage, I see it as an opportunity to create and mold a strong, highly competitive team,” Smith said. “I have already seen a tremendous amount of growth in this team since the beginning of the season.” 

Sophomore, Ana Liese Torian is all about improving her skills as a consistent three-point-shooter and a strong defender.

“I am very pleased with my personal performance, especially since I haven’t been playing basketball that long and we had a shortened season last year due to COVID,” Torian said. “I’m excited to see just how much more I can improve from this season to the next.”

Torian’s best games came against Benet Academy and Lincoln Way East.

“[Benet Academy] was a challenging team to compete against and even though we lost we still put up a good fight,” Torian said. “Against Lincolnway East,  we had really good ball movement and everyone was able to make shots.”   

Torian believes that this team has what it takes for a strong postseason run.

“I think we have what it takes to be successful in the postseason, as long as we take the next few weeks to learn from the mistakes we have made in previous games we have played,” Torian said.

The Vikings have a lot of faith in themselves and think that they will be top performers for this season and the seasons to come.