The Galena Girls Varsity Basketball team has started their unpredicted season off better than they could have dreamed of. They are currently standing at 5-0, with two wins over Warren, two wins over East Dubuque, and one against Polo. They have been pouring their hearts into this team since the start, and there has been much excitement expressed for the rest of the season. With a short season packed full of games, there’s not much time for practice, so the team takes advantage of any time they get together to better themselves as individuals and a team as a whole. The Galena Varsity team is filled with underclassmen, forcing them to step up and play with the older girls. “I am so honored to have been welcomed onto the varsity team with such open arms,” said Addie Hefel ‘24. “I knew there were not many numbers out for the team this year, so I have taken it upon myself to play my best game personally to help the team. I am so excited about our strong start to the season, and can not wait to see what the future brings.” With the season benign pushed back so far and benign shortened so much, every day counts for our athletes. The team is filled with many underclassmen this year, and they have really had to step up to take on a few big roles. With only one senior, and three playing juniors, all of the other players are underclassmen. Maggie Furlong, a junior, had a tough end to her junior year sports career when she tore her ACL in a club volleyball tournament just before the season started. “Having to sit on the sidelines with my knee in a brace, with only one ability, which is to cheer on my team, is a challenge for me,” said Furlong ‘22. “I have played sports my whole life, and tend to spend most of my time on the court, so having to observe from the sidelines, knowing I have a long time off, is sad. However I am so proud of our team, especially the younger girls for stepping up and filling big roles on our team.” This was an unpredicted circumstance, and despite the slight panic when the coaching staff and team got word that Furlong would be out, they have come out stronger than ever, with a winning attitude. This year has been filled with an uncountable amount of misfortunes, but to overcome some of those, Galena athletes are taking advantage of their sports season that were just made possible. This has brought so much hope to the community and whether you are a parent who can be in the gym, a player on the team, or even a spectator watching on the livestream (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBPS_6elS-Jik_vRrdxPF_w), the team appreciates the support and wants fans to continue watching them. Despite the unknowingness of this season, the girls have showed up to play at all of their games thus far, determined to maintain their undefeated season.