After a long wait, the 2025-2026 Varsity Girls Basketball season is off. With a new coach and a new culture surrounding the team, students seem to be excited for what is to come.
Although the Scouts achievements will come from an entire team effort, the Scouts have a few stand out players.
“We have Charlie Axus who plays the point, very aggressive, very fast, smart player, kind of coming into our own, I think. She’s going to lead and she does a great job leading by example but also, she’s been vocal,” Head Coach Mark Burke said.
For the seniors this season is especially important. No season matters more than your last season and for Axus, this season means everything.
“I am super excited going into this year’s season as it is my final year, so I want to make the most of it. It is a bit of a new dynamic as we have new coaches this year, but so far we are off to a great start and hope that the season will continue in that direction,” Axus said.
This team will have many highs and many lows, but as long as the team sticks to what they know, they feel they will succeed.
“I would use encouragement as a word to describe our team because everyone on the team is always there to support each other and help each other to do our best,” senior Kallan Bodine said.
Identity is a big part of how a team operates. Without a strong identity, it can be difficult to succeed at a high level. Coach Burke feels that the identity of the team will be a big part of the success this year.
“We have a lot of experience. We have a lot of seniors who have gotten a lot of minutes and playing time. Same with the juniors. We’re going to be an aggressive, hardworking team, one that plays together,” Burke said.
One of those juniors seems to be standing out. With collegiate hopes, she feels the liveliness of the team is important.
“The culture I want in the locker room is just a positive environment filled with energy,” Acella said.
Sometimes it is hard to play with new people. Not just building chemistry on the court, but building it off the court can be challenging. Acella feels this could be difficult for the team this year.
“Our biggest challenge will be playing together. A lot of us have not played together before, so we are going to have to figure it out and adjust to new players on the court,” Acella said.
Although there could be some challenges along the way, Coach Burke feels that this year is a year to start over and create a new style. He also has some expectations for the journey ahead.
“I think it is a year to get to know each other, change the culture of the program, change the attitude of the program, and change the attitude towards the program. I really just expect them to come to work hard every day and outwork people to get better,” Burke said.
Compared to the rest of the league, the Scouts seem to be lacking size, which could lead to issues later in the season. Axus isn’t worried, though, and looks to use this disadvantage as a way to succeed instead.
“I think the biggest challenge our team is going to face this season is that we are lacking height. Aside from seniors Camilla Gauthier and Mallory Potash, we really are a full guard team, so I think this season we just have to figure out how to use that to our advantage. Game, this year our conference is going to be difficult again, so I think a challenge, like every team, is getting used to playing with each other so that we can become competitive in the post season,” Axus said
