After an 18-day break, the girls varsity basketball team was back in action, taking on Blue Valley Southwest. The Huskies sprung out to a 16-8 lead by the end of the first quarter and used that momentum on the way to a 46-32 victory over the Timberwolves. 

Sophomore Elise Grosdidier said the break provided the Huskies with some time to rest and relax, but also time to prepare for the game against the Timberwolves.

“The break allowed us to get rest as a team. We had been going really hard for a long time so the break was much-needed. It also allowed us to see how much we missed the game when we’re not playing it and that gave us the extra energy we needed going into this game,” Grosdidier said.

Earlier in the season, the Huskies and Timberwolves squared off in the fifth place game of the Huhtamaki Hardwood Classic and the game resulted in a 49-31 victory for Northwest. Head coach Matt Shulman said the previous game helped the Huskies to prepare as they knew what they were going up against.

“I think at points it gave us confidence and at points it gave us too much ego. Southwest is a tough team and we knew they were going to come out hard,” Shulman said.

Northwest utilized a full-court press for nearly the entirety of the game, forcing many turnovers and limiting the Timberwolves from getting into an offensive rhythm. Grosdidier said they had been working on the press and they did a good job of executing their traps.

“I felt like we trapped close. We’ve been working on not letting them break through the trap and we did a good job of preventing that from happening. Also, everyone did a great job forcing turnovers and being there for the easy baskets,” Grosdidier said.

In what was not a great game in terms of shooting for the Huskies, Grosdidier said the team did an excellent job of getting offensive rebounds and fighting for second chance points.

“I was really proud of how we did rebounding. Even though we missed a lot of free throws, we fought for the rebounds and fought to put them back up,” Grosdidier said.

Northwest will return to the court Friday, Jan. 7 in an away game against Blue Valley West at 5:30 p.m.