Jr. High Girls Basketball recently kicked off their season. The head coach is Aaron Tebbe, and the assistant coach is Travis Kuhn. The team consists of 14 girls including six 8th graders and eight 7th graders. The 8th graders are Caroline Tepe, Lily Helbig, Kate Borrepohl, Carly Schmidt, Emma Borgmann, and Rylan Senior. 7th graders are Brynn Rhodes, Schae Juenger, Jilien Harre, Kenley Hackstadt, Addison Hashieder, Delaney Kuhn, Kaylie Behrman, and Bella Muniz. 

I interviewed 7th grader Brynn Rhodes and she stated, “I believe we will go far during the season.” I asked her if she was excited about the season? “Yes,” she responded. I also asked her if she thinks they have a chance against rival school Nashville? Rhodes responded with, “Yes, they are a bigger team than us, but we always have a chance.” 

On Monday, October 18, 2021, the Okawville Jr. Lady Rockets played Nashville. The 7th grade team started strong and didn’t let the lead go and ended with the win. The end score was 29-2. 

The 8th grade game was a very exciting season opener. The Okawville Lady Rockets stayed with them, but then the Nashville Lady Hornets couldn’t stop making their shots and took a big lead of 18-8 at halftime. The Jr. Lady Rockets did not give up though, as they came out with a little more fire in the second half. However, the end score was 28-18 in favor of Nashville. After the game, Coach Tebbe stated in the huddle, “We played hard, and we put up a good fight.” 

On Thursday, October 21st, the Jr. Lady Rockets hosted Centralia. Okawville started off hot with the 7th grade win of 48-5. The 8th grade team also won, with a score of 50-24.  Overall, they had two great games and put up good battles.