She catches the ball, speeds down the court, and springs into the air. Her long, blonde hair flies as she lets go of the bright, orange basketball. Swoosh! The ball rubs against the net as it falls through. She shoots; she scores.

She is Jessica Dunlap, senior, and co-captain of the Girls Varsity Basketball team. Dunlap has been playing basketball since third grade, and this is her second year on Varsity.

“I think we have potential to be really good this year,” Dunlap said. “I think it’s a fun atmosphere on the team, and we have really good team chemistry.”

Although practices can be long and tiring, Dunlap is excited for the season. The pre-season started Nov. 3 with tryouts, and now they’re practicing and improving.

“It’s really high paced because we like to do a lot of game simulations,” she said. “We play a lot instead of just running plays or doing drills, so we move up and down the floor a lot.”

Practices are six days a week during season, but Dunlap said she practices off season too.

“I’ll go to the Pointe and shoot around or I’ll play with my friends on occasion,” she said.

Their first game of the year was scheduled on Tuesday, November 25th against Westminster but due to safety concerns was postponed to Saturday, December 20th.

“I think it’s going to be a tough game, and they have several good players,” Dunlap said. “But, I want us to work hard and if we do, we can definitely give them a run for their money.”