Every winter season, the boys and girls basketball teams compete in the Heartland Athletic Conference (HAC) tournament. After the season they have had so far, the North Star girls were given the third seed in the bracket. Junior Ani Leu says, “Our team dynamic is extremely trustworthy. Our willingness to own up to and correct mistakes helps us keep an open and clear communication. We are a team that loves to joke around but focus on when the time comes.” Placed ahead of the gators was Lincoln Southwest in the first seed, and Kearney in the second seed. The girls started the tournament off by facing #6 Lincoln Southeast at home. After holding the Knights to a low score for the majority of the game, the Gators were able to pull out a 39-21 win and advance to the HAC semifinals. Next the team made their way to Lincoln Northeast High School where they had to face #2 Kearney. Once again, the girls made a huge win of 43-27 against the bearcats. The girls had a day off to practice for the big championship taking place on Saturday afternoon. They had to face the number one seed Lincoln Southwest. The team played a very good game against the Hawks and held them to another low score. The Gators won the game 50-27.

For the first time in school history, the girls basketball team took home the title of HAC Champions. Leu explains, “Winning HAC for the first time was very special because I know we are a team for the record books and we will pave the way for girls to come play gator basketball for years even after we graduate.” The student section jumped up with excitement as the team walked up to claim their plaque. The team is not new to making history, as they just made their first state appearance only two years ago, and also returned to the tournament last season. Leu says, “I want to finish the season just knowing we gave it our all and shaped an environment that our seniors will never forget.” Make sure to check out one of their games, as the team plays their way to the state tournament!