Washington (Iowa) girls have high hopes

WASHINGTON, Iowa - The 2015-16 edition of Washington girls' basketball team appears ready for a fresh start.

After a season of growth and struggles, the coaches and girls are hoping for more positive results.

While the varsity struggled last season, with a final record of a 6-16, there is plenty of reason for optimism this season. The varsity team featured several underclassmen who gained valuable experience. In addition, the junior varsity finished with an 18-3 record and the freshmen/sophomore team finished 7-1.

Optimism spreads from having a new head coach, Jordan Bentley, and higher numbers throughout the program. The girls started practice on Nov. 9 and they have had high energy and positivity to this point. The players practice every day after school and can be seen live in their season opener tonight against Eddyville-Blakesburug. They will play multiple games each week.

Jake Steen, who serves as the junior varsity coach, said he 'loves forming those coach-athlete relationships.”

In addition to talking about the bond a player has with her coach, he jokingly said, 'I love yelling at teenage girls.”

Steen tries to make each day a fun atmosphere for the girls.

The Demons have a number of returning players who played big roles last season, including seniors Addie Pacha, Amber Salow, Morgan Kimball, Brynna DeLong and McKayla Miller. Sophomore Sarah Nacos and junior Lexi Redlinger are two other girls who saw extended varsity action a season ago.

With the mix of quality returners and newcomers, the girls will look to progress their game to the next step.

While there are a lot of returners, the Demons have a new athlete, junior Taylor Dicks, who transferred into the district after her dad accepted the superintendent position. Dicks will bring a championship element to the squad. She was a member of the Class 1A state championship team for Newell-Fonda last season.

Dicks knows what it feels like to win and she is looking forward to her first season in Washington.

'Everyone has been welcoming to me, and the girls seem to play well together,” she said.

There seems to be a new vibe around the team this year and while no one else may expect a competitive girls' team, the coaches and athletes are determined to prove people wrong.