The Brentwood Christian Lady Bears Basketball team is finding its groove as it dives straight into the season.
This year is a significant step forward for the program, with the return of a junior varsity Lady Bears team, which provides more athletes with opportunities to develop and contribute before stepping into varsity.
In all, the program has 16 players, the highest number in over a decade.
Former assistant coach Ethan Grant has taken over as head coach, with Jon Weilemann and Ellie Ward as assistant coaches.
The girls started the season with victories over Round Rock Christian and New Braunfels Christian. In the win over NBCA, junior captain Ella Kennedy led the way with 16 points. Junior Ella Crouch had 13 points, and junior captain Anu Oguntade had 10 rebounds.
The Lady Bears also hosted their annual tournament at BCS from Dec. 4-6, where over 10 schools from Dallas, Houston and San Antonio traveled to Austin. As it worked out, the Lady Bears had to play district rival Hyde Park, and despite the loss, were pleased with growth before a more pivotal matchup on Jan. 27.
Sophomore Arianna Ranielli shut down Grace Bagan of the Lady Panthers, a talented and future college player. Bagan was averaging close to 24 points per game, and the Lady Bears only let her score seven points.
“As a returning member, I want to help them the best I can throughout the season,” said Rainelli.
By placing emphasis on trust as the fuel in their season, the Lady Bears are sure to be successful. The team has had a few struggles with injuries, tough losses, and adjusting to changes in the program, but they are battling through it with determination and their mindset on teamwork.
The JV team has had a strong start to the season as well, with an 8-3 record as of Jan. 1, fueled by a talented mix of freshmen, including Reese Smith, Hadley Baxter and Alena Sneed.
Early success by JV displays the depth of the young talent within the program, and gives reason for optimism about the future of Lady Bears basketball. With continued effort, teamwork, and support from the coaches, the program is looking forward to where it ends up by season’s end.
More importantly, its mission to keep Christ at the center of everything will continue to be a focus.
“Like Coach Grant always says, we are a family and keep God first,” says sophomore Faith Bollinger. “I see this team as my family, so I will defend and help them.”
The Lady Bears' varsity team is 8-14 overall after a big 55-13 win over Prairie Lea on Jan. 6. They will face Brook Hill on Friday, Jan. 9, in Bullard, in the second game of district play.
