Biewen: Hopkins Matchup 'Great Test of Our Team's Ability'

Editor's note: Given the buzz surrounding tonight's girls basketball matchup against Hopkins, we reached out to senior captain Katybeth Biewen to talk about the team's 16-0 start as well as how they've been preparing for what will likely be a thrilling game. Be sure to check back tomorrow to see if the girls are still undefeated.

Physical, athletic, fast, and strong are all words commonly used to describe the Hopkins girls basketball team. The anticipation of this first conference matchup has us all on our toes. After tonight, only one team in 4A will be undefeated, and obviously we want to be that team.

Before the season started, I doubt that many people thought that our team would be undefeated at this point in the season. We’ve had a tough schedule and plenty of close games, but so far we’ve always come out on top. We’ve gone into each game with different goals, but our main goal for each game is to get better as a team. Our game against Hopkins is no different. Obviously we want to win, and we will do everything in our power to do so, but if we fight and don’t come out on top, it’s not the end of the world.

We see this game as our toughest challenge thus far. Not only because Hopkins is such a tough team, but also because we will be playing without one of our best players, MC McGrory. We know that in order to be successful we’re going to need to play very well. We’ll have to be tough both mentally and physically, and most of all we’re going to have to play smart. We know that a big part of Hopkins’ game is forcing turnovers, and turning them into baskets. We’re going to need to make smart passes and take care of the ball in order to have success.

Ideally, we would have had a week of practice to prepare for this game, but we didn’t. With and Woodbury on Saturday we had our hands full, but both of these games helped us prepare for Hopkins since they are both physical teams.

Monday was still a very important practice for us. The most significant difference in practice before we play Hopkins is our opponents. Our coaches get the JV players really pumped up, and it’s not uncommon for us to play five on seven. Not to mention, those defenders are told to be as physical as possible so that we are prepared for Hopkins’ aggressive and physical style of defense.

This game will be a great test of our team’s ability. One team will come out on top, and one will receive their first loss. No matter the outcome, our main goal is just to keep improving as a team.