Freshman Kylie Wells is making an immediate impact on the girls basketball team this year. As a freshman on varsity she has faced a lot of pressure, but is managing with the help of upperclassmen and coaches. 

“They hype me up. They encourage me to keep doing what I’m doing,” Wells said of her teammates. “I never am nervous in the game. At the beginning of the game, I just have to take a deep breath. . . . I just try to worry about everybody on the court and not like the stands or anything.”

Head Coach Kelly Kratz said the team relies on leadership from returners to help new players like Wells.

“The intensity and competitiveness at practice is something that our upperclassmen really help emphasize,” she said. 

Wells plays at both shooting guard and small forward. She had her best game of the season with 30 points in a recent win over Northwood. 

“Kylie is a very aggressive and athletic basketball player.  She plays hard and is a very tough matchup,” Coach Kratz said. “She is also a very good offensive rebounder.” 

Motivated by her father, Wells works hard away from school, too. 

 “I go to the Y with my dad,” she said. “We workout, we do ball handling, shooting, and I might do stuff at home and, if there’s not snow on the ground, I’ll shoot outside.”

An early milestone for Wells, was her 25-point game against Andrean.

“My teammates were setting me up and everything was feeling good that night, making it a great game,” Wells said.

However, she tries not to think to much about her early success.

“If players think about what their good at, then they’ll get a big head,” Wells said. “So I like to keep my head leveled and not really think about it. I just keep on trying to play to the next game.”

Her teammates have been impressed with her play.

”She is a very explosive player, hard to guard, takes criticism very well and easy to get along with. … She’s great,” Senior Alanna Sabbath said.

Wells is just one of many girls standing out during the team’s 11-7 start.

“Our goals are to continue to improve every day and each game,” Coach Kratz said. “Our ultimate goal is for a Sectional championship and go as far as possible in the postseason tournament.”