Written by Tara McIntosh

As temperatures drop and Thanksgiving Break approaches, the winter season begins for  Rye Country Day’s athletes. Despite a rough season last year with only 10 members in the program, Girls Varsity Basketball is approaching this winter with renewed energy and excitement, eager for the tipoff that will begin this season’s competition. 

Varsity Captain Anika Bhat ‘25 has been playing basketball since 4th grade. Her position switches between shooting guard, point guard, and center during games. She is most looking forward to “developing the younger players to lead the program for seasons to come.” Using her experience, she hopes to instill the belief that “it’s okay to make mistakes” and will help players “come back stronger from them.” Bhat recognizes the team’s small size, stating that “I want our program to succeed in continuing to grow our numbers.” She also notices that, especially during close games, “we can lose focus, which we will work on throughout this season.” This season, the team is already larger than last year’s with around 14 players not including 8th graders, but Bhat “will ensure our team doesn’t lose our focus on individual skills and confidence.” 

The team is very tight knit because of its small size, and Bhat’s favorite part of game play last year was “unselfishness: no one ever ‘hogged the ball,’” which allowed for more success on the court. The team’s willingness to work with each other showed on the scoreboard, as “we doubled our wins from two seasons ago.” 

Good luck to the Girls’ Varsity Basketball team this winter season and to all the winter athletes! Go Wildcats!