The Lady Raiders ran up and down the court as their shoes squeaked and the crowd yelled. Teammates helped each other to defeat their opponents. Small teams sometimes have trouble maintaining their energy through the game.

“We got tired because there were not a lot of subs to go in for everybody,” Tamia Knauls, 7th, said.

Lack of energy could have affected the girls’ motivation.

“I stayed motivated because everyone always talked about how 7th girls didn’t win a game last year, and I wanted to show them 7th can win and accomplish anything,” Tamia said.

Everyone has that one special person who helps them get through tough times in life. For Cierah Carey, 9th, that person is Coach Lemley.

“Coach Lemley helped me the most,” Cierah said. “I learned that sometimes I have to put my feelings aside and focus on the bigger picture.”

Other than coaches, teammates can also have a big impact on a player and can be motivating.

“My teammates helped me realize that having an attitude or getting mad over little things isn’t the solution” Cierah said. “As a team everyone achieves more. Attitudes are the little things that make the biggest difference.”