The Sartell girls’ basketball team opened their season at home on November 29 against Bemidji with hopes of starting off with a win. 

The Sabres are coming off a strong season last year, ending with a record of 15-10. Fortunately, the team is bringing back lots of experience from last season, as they only lost two seniors. With five veteran seniors leading the way this year, the girls are looking to pick up right where they left off. 

Senior captain Avery Templin says, “Our strengths this season are definitely going to be our defense and quickness. We are all very experienced and have played together for a long time, so that has helped our team chemistry a lot.”

The captains of this year’s team include Templin, Ella Gainsforth, and Emily Crandall. They are all returning starters from last season. The captains have been working hard to lead their team thus far and are excited to finally get their senior seasons underway. 

Templin said, “We spent a lot of time in the gym this summer with the team, focusing on breaking down skills and playing in tournaments to keep getting better.” 

The season opener on the 29th turned out in the Sabre’s favor. After a very back and forth first half, the Sabres were in the lead with a score of 33-28 going into the break. The Sabres came out on fire in the second half, defeating Bemidji with a score of 65-45. The Sabres showed strong potential in their play right off the bat and battled hard against the Bemidji Lumberjacks all game long. 

When asked to reflect on the first game, Gainsforth said, “We played very well as a team, considering the amount of practices we have had together.” 

The Sabres continue their busy week with two more away games. They will take on Rocori on Thursday, December 1, and Elk River on Friday, December 2.