The Lady Wildcat basketball team stands confident as the preseason races to a finish. With a solid record of nine wins and six losses, they are ready to pounce on the league season and claim it for their own.

Practicing since the beginning of the year, the team has focused on stamina and conditioning. The preseason, which started in November, made the teammates pick up the pace.

The team has also been working hard through the three-week winter break, when two of the three basketball tournaments were held.

The girls came out of the tournaments with two wins and two losses in each tournament. The players have adequately prepared for the league season that has finally arrived.

The Lady Wildcats also hosted their own basketball tournament on Dec. 18-22. The team proved to be highly successful, claiming second place.

Now that the league season has arrived, the players and Head Coach Roger Kiyomura are very excited. The team not only wants to match the strength last year’s team had but has the desire to surpass it.

“ We definitely hope to improve,” said Kiyomura. “Every year I expect us to do better than the last season.”

“Our team is strong, and we should do better than last year,” commented sophomore Courtney Howard, JV Captain. “It’s about time we win the championship,” said freshman Kimberly Roberts.

Kiyomura is especially looking forward to the league season, picturing it as a challenge and test to find out how good the team is and how much more potential it has.

And a challenge it will be indeed. The Lady Wildcats will have to play with great intensity and up to their highest potential if they want to reach the top.

“Our toughest opponents will definitely be against Fairfax and Westchester high schools,” said JV Captain Bernice Embry.

While the team is going strong, there are still multiple areas that can be improved upon. “This is one of the better shooting teams Uni has had,” said Kiyomura, “But our biggest weakness is probably rebounding, and it’s something that everyone can work on.” And while defense is a strength when the team’s game is on, “It’s a little shabby,” continued Embry.