As the players adjust to a new team dynamic, chemistry and connection have been a huge priority for the Yutan girls’ basketball team this year.

“We have a lot of new pieces this year, girls playing different positions, in different roles, and it has taken time to understand and play to the best of our abilities as a team,” head girls basketball coach Clay Carlton said.

This year, Yutan gained seven new players, including four freshmen, two juniors and one senior. One is senior Jenna Benjamin, who returned after attending a different school last season and has been a consistent scoring threat for Yutan. 

“Jenna obviously adds a spark offensively and defensively for the team. She is one of our leading scorers and routinely guards one of the better players on the opponent’s team,” Carlton said.  

Junior Emmy Tederman is another addition who didn’t play as a sophomore but decided to come back this year. 

“Emmy has been huge as our 6th girl and is always making the right play for the team. She brings energy off our bench and supplies us with great rebounding, shooting and defense,” Carlton said. 

The team is also led by two other seniors who play a significant role in maintaining composure on the court: Jenna Trent and Mylee Tichota. 

“I would say my leadership style is pretty vocal. I tend to be the loudest on the court, and I try to stay very positive. I’m very motivated when it comes to sports because I know what our team is capable of and I know how far I want to go,” Trent said.

Tichota, on the other hand, is more of a calm leader.

“I try to keep my composure because if I stay calm, it helps my teammates stay calm too,” Tichota said.

Despite some reshuffling of players and roles, the team members have a strong bond, which shows up most clearly during games, where energy from the bench and on the court is encouraging, regardless of who is playing. 

“This team means a lot to me because I’m super close with the girls on the team this year. We’re all super close; we hang out outside of just basketball practice and games, even though we’re all different grades,” sophomore Addi Jones said.

Just like any other team this year, the Yutan girls basketball team is competing their hardest to win a state championship.

“We all know that we have a very good chance of making it to state and making a run at state and just knowing that every single game affects that just makes us push each other to be better,” Jones said.

The team has faced some challenges along the way, including a one-point loss to Fort Calhoun with 0.8 seconds left and overcoming illnesses at Platteview, where they lost 42-46; at Ashland, where they won 45-27; and at Palmyra, where they won 43-25.

“The most challenging games were Fort Calhoun and Platteview. In the Fort Calhoun game, we lost by one point on a buzzer-beater. We had to work really hard to come back with confidence and keep going,” sophomore Jersey Siske said. 

Despite challenges with rolled/sprained ankles, pulled muscles and illnesses, the team has continued to push themselves to get better.

“Girls that aren’t at 100 percent are still giving everything they have, and others have stepped up,” Carlton said. 

As the season nears the end, the team remains focused on competing together at the highest level to succeed.

“I think we need to keep trusting in one another, keep trusting in our roles and continue to execute better and better every day,” Benjamin said

The coaches are confident that all their hard work and connections will pay off in the postseason.

“The best is yet to come for this team,” Carlton said.