The Mustang girls basketball team tipped off practice recently for the 2021-22 season.
The first game of the season isn’t for another month, however, the Lady Broncos said they are ready to get the season going.
“My expectation for this season is we should do pretty good,” senior Talia Pogi said. “Our chemistry is really good. It’s gotten a lot better, and we’ve grown as a team. We are really good at sharing the ball this year, so I am really excited for the rest of the year.”
Mustang is coming off a season in which they made it to the first round of the state tournament before being eliminated by Tulsa Union.
“The main thing I will be able to take from last year is that we were very selfish last year,” Pogi said. “We had a lot of talent, but it’s a team game. We need a team to win a game. Everybody trying to score 20 on their own wasn’t the right way to go. We are a lot better at sharing the ball this year.”
Despite a couple of starters from last year’s squad transferring out, Mustang likes the team they have brought back as they attempt to make it back to the state tournament.
“What stands out to me about this team is that we are like a family,” senior Katie Niehues said. “Nobody is against anybody. We’re all together. We all want the same thing.
“We all want to go out and win championships and go home happy every day.”
Like every team in the state, last year Mustang had to deal with not only the season but also the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
For some, this year is almost like a reboot.
“My top thing for me was getting back into shape,” senior Karley Johnson said. “After COVID, I had a hard time with myself. Over the summer, I had time to work on myself and get my game back to where it used to be.”
Mustang will open the season Nov. 30 when it hosts rival Yukon. The opening night is something the Lady Broncos have had circled on the calendar.
“I’m so excited. I cannot wait to beat them,” Pogi said. “They are probably going to get rocked. We are probably going to 40 piece them.”