When the girls varsity basketball team started the 2014-2015 season, many people doubted their capabilities. The team used this doubtfulness as a spark of motivation and that spark later turned into a fire. The team started the season with a 13-0 run and as a result, they were ranked 5^th in state. The people on the sidelines of this team, the ones looking from the outside in, did not realize just how talented this team was. But the girls knew. They knew what they were capable of accomplishing. They knew how far they should go this season, and they knew they could do it if they all stayed focused on the bigger picture, stayed humble, and worked together.

“As a team, we all had one common goal…and that was to get to state, and to win at state” said junior Natalie Rasmussen. As the season went on the team kept the focus, doing the little things that would later turn into the big things. They worked their way up to the 2^nd team in state. On January 14^th they faced off against the #1 team in state, the Lynwood Royals. The girls lost by 25. But don’t think for a second that this would stop them. Using this game as a learning experience the team battled back and when the two teams faced off again, Glacier Peak took the win.

Playoffs got underway and the girls later advanced to the district champion ship. This was the 5^th year in a row that they would compete for the district title. Although the team did not win the district game, they still progressed to the regionals state game against the Cleveland Eagles; 2 time defending state champs. If the grizzlies won, they would advance to the state championships and the games were to take place at the Tacoma dome. If they lost, their season would come to an end. “This was the most important game of the year for us” said junior Charlie Sevenants. “All our hard work and commitment to each other could just suddenly come to an end, and that’s a tough thing to think about.”

Sadly the grizzlies lost this game, and their season was abruptly over. Confusion, sadness, tears and heart break filled the locker room immediately after the game as the team sat in a circle sitting on the 62-52 loss over Cleveland.

This was not how they wanted their season to end, and definitely not your storybook ending for the grizzlies but the team is already thinking about next year. Eager to come back and do this all over again, proving to the fans and critics, but most importantly to themselves that they are capable of doing what they know they can. Get to state, and win at state.