The girls’ basketball team beat Irondale 75-60, bringing them to a record of 1-0, according to head coach Arsenio Richardson.

According to Richardson, the team started off the first season game with sophomore Shayla Miller landing a three-point shot, followed by two more in the next 45 seconds, giving Park a 9-0 lead.

Richardson said he believes the team’s attitude reflects their performance on the court. 

“I feel like we worked really hard, played fast and our goal is always to be 1-0. We played as well as we are going to play for game one,” Richardson said. “Of course there are going to be mistakes as there are a bunch of things we can improve on, but as far as intensity, attitude and effort being the things we can control, I think we did a really good job.”

Senior captain Kamil Mayfield said the team’s offense helped lead them to their victory over Irondale.

“We did really well, because last year as we lost double digits against Irondale but improved (this year) as we were running our plays correctly, making open shots and crashing the boards,” Mayfield said.

According to Richardson, the cheering from family and friends on the bleachers aids the team in creating a supportive environment.

“Our bench also helped as everyone was involved and engaged and we (created) that family atmosphere,” Richardson said.

Junior captain Lindsey Olson said she feels, although successful, there remains room for the team to improve.

“We definitely need some work on defense, like rebounding and boxing out,” Olson said.

Richardson said he looks forward to watching the team enhance their skills as the season unfolds.

“(I’m excited to see) the growth as it my first year, and I wanna see the team get better each game, and I’ll take any setbacks, but I’m excited to see what we can achieve and how we can keep developing,” Richardson said.

Mayfield said she enjoys the feeling of accomplishment after winning a game. 

“(I’m excited) to win” Olson said. “(I’m looking forward to) winning and having fun,” Mayfield said.

Richardson said in preparation for future basketball games, the team watches 

tapes from previous games to learn from their mistakes.

“We are going to look at the film and go over it, everything that we really need to work on will show some positives but also correcting our mistakes,” Richardson said. 

The girls’ basketball team’s second game of the season is against the Henry Sibley warriors at Henry Sibley High School Dec. 1, according to Richardson.