Young Basic girls squad gaining experience each game

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Monday, Dec. 6, 2010 | 2:05 a.m.

This wasn’t the way the Basic High girls basketball team wanted to start the season.

The Wolves didn’t score a point in the first quarter last week of their season opener against perennial power Centennial High in a 96-14 defeat.

When the Wolves went into halftime trailing 43-2, coach Teresa Gallegos knew keeping her team’s spirits high would be a top priority.

After all, she starts two sophomores and had several first-time varsity performers in the lineup against a Centennial team led by two who had received Division I scholarships.

“We are looking as that game as a motivator,” Gallegos said. “We are never going to have something like that happen again in our season. Obviously, we weren’t expecting to win. But obviously we didn’t expect the margin to be that big.”

Basic missed the playoffs last year and still might be one year away from making a run in the Southeast Division. But as long as her team shows improvements each game, Gallegos said she would consider the season a step in the right direction.

“We have a lot of younger players who didn’t know what to expect with the speed of the game,” she said. “Against a team like that, it was that much greater.”

Basic is led by junior Kailai Brantner, a 5-foot-9 point guard who is the heart-and-soul of the team.

“She is a real, true leader,” Gallegos said. “She is definitely making a difference with the younger ones.”

Other players to watch include guards Kelsey Gunther and Brielle Wilke.