With the winter sports season beginning at Westborough High School, senior, Haley Thrush, is looking forward to her final season with girls’ basketball. The team is experiencing a big change this year; math teacher and previous JV coach Liz Power is stepping up as varsity coach. Kim Danish is also stepping up as an assistant JV coach to assist Power with coaching the varsity team. 

Although this is a big change for the team, Thrush explains, “I think we are all really excited to have her and I’m excited to see what the season will bring for us. I’m looking forward to how we do as a team with the new changes and seeing all of the seniors work together and have a good fun year.”

Including Thrush, the team has five returning seniors for the season: Annie Beckman, Carolyn Kelly, Alexa Vassilakis, and Samantha Stucchi. Other returners include sophomores Grace Burns and Kristin Wilichowski. New to the varsity team this year are juniors, Natasha Lower, Julia French, sophomores Makenna Thrush and Abby Thompost, and freshman Amanda Beckmen. Beckman, Kelly, and Stucchi will serve as captains for the team. 

Although the season is just beginning Thrush has high hopes for the season coming off an exciting Summer League season. 

“We had some summer league games this year that I got really excited about because of how well we were playing and how much fun we were having so hopefully that carries over,” Thrush shares.

Coming off a 5-15 record from last year’s season, Thrush has a positive outlook for this season.

She says,  “I think that no matter what all of us, especially the seniors have the attitude of going in with a good mindset and just having a lot of fun because we have played together for so long that it’ll be good to see all of our hard work pay off.”

All of the seniors have been playing together since before middle school. For Thrush who has been playing basketball all year round since second grade this will be an extra special season for her. 

Thrush remarks, “It will be weird not having basketball every day next year, but coming off of a senior volleyball season it’s just a whole lot of fun to play a senior season and just have a good time with my fellow seniors. I’m excited.”