By Kristi Leonard
The Surveyor

Seventh-grader Addison Jones jumps and tips the ball to Camryn Olivas who quickly drives for the layup putting the Turner Middle School (TMS) Dragons on the board. Later, Jones would pull down a rebound and send it upcourt to Olivas who was already en route to the basket. As Olivas dribbled around the opposition, Jones cut to the basket and looked for the pass from Olivas. The result — two more points for TMS.

Olivas, Jones, Lydia Cabrera, Carys McGuinn, and Jessa Senesac pressed, trapped, and dominated their opponents throughout the basketball season. The team finished 9-1 with their only loss coming from Severance Middle School in the championship game. Severance was the only team that gave the TMS seventh-grade team a tough time during the regular season, where TMS won by a single point.

The championship game was a very physical one with over 25 fouls being called. With just under three minutes left in the game, Olivas picked up her fifth foul, sending her to the bench for the rest of the game. Severance took advantage and scrapped, pressed and pressured the Dragons. Amirah Botkin stepped up big and handled the pressure and was able to help the Dragons close the gap to three points when the final buzzer sounded.

Severance walked away with first place and handed TMS their only loss of the season. The seventh-grade Dragons were coached by TMS P.E. and health teacher, Tara Olivas. “I am extremely proud of our team and the season we had. While I wish we could have won the Championship, I know we learned a lot from not just that game but each game we played. I hope that all of the girls continue to work during the off-season so we can come back better and stronger next year!”

Sofia Sigg, Libby Wilson, Kiera Harris, Moira Diller and Mia Major led the eighth-grade Dragons team to an 8-2 record, with Windsor being the only team to beat TMS. Wilson and Diller enjoyed sending three-point shots into the bucket throughout the season. Speed was a key factor of the eighth-grade team as Sigg could outrun anyone on the court, stopping fast breaks, or creating her own. Wilson and Cameron Farnham regularly picked off passes and put up easy lay-ups. Harris, standing at 5-foot-10-inches, was a regular presence under the net pulling down rebounds and making shots. Coaching the team was sixth-grade science teacher, Dave Hunn.

The TMS sixth-grade team also had a record of 8-2 this season. Coached by Audrey Heffelfinger, the team’s only losses were to Windsor in the regular season and Resurrection Christian High School in the championship round. “Horray! Horray!” was a common mantra and inside joke for this team. Ashlynn Dill and Josie Crosby shared the majority of ball-handling duties. Both girls were adept at dribbling through traffic without losing the ball. The two often worked in tandem — just as the opposing team thought they had one trapped, a quick pass would open up a scoring opportunity for the other. Mia Morin, Pieper Gordon and Tori Dingman worked underneath the basket producing many rebounds and putting up second-try shots. “It was really fun,” Dill reported.
Morin added, “A great season!”