BOZEMAN — High school girls basketball is wrapping up for the season, which also means Bozeman Gallatin’s inaugural season is coming to a close. Although there have been many learning curves along the way, there’s a lot to look forward to heading into next year.
“It’s definitely been a struggle, and it’s kind of hard trying to build a foundation when you really have no idea where to start," said Raptors junior guard Molly O'Connor. "Now that we’ve had a few of those games under our belt, we’re all starting to get more comfortable and that’s helping us because it just slows the pace of the game down a lot.”
But to get to this point, it hasn’t been easy. While the pandemic has certainly affected their first season as a program, the entire Raptors’ roster had no previous experience at the varsity level.
“The expectations are different," said Gallatin girls head coach Wes Holmquist. "Again, we’re building that foundation. One thing we say is ‘pound the rock.’ We just want to keep pounding that rock. We might not break that rock on the first or second try or the 100th try, you just have to keep pounding it. We might not see that we’re making big progress, and it might not show up on the scoreboard, but it’s definitely happening and we’re just working on confidence and having these kids be confident when we step out there.”
With no seniors on the team this year, the Raptors will be able to continue growing as a program this offseason.
“We’ve been taking baby steps," Holmquist added. "We’re not trying to throw a lot at them. We’re trying to really focus on the basics and get really good at a couple of little things, and knowing the fact that we’re going to have everybody back next year, we’re just really trying to lay that foundation, and as we progress and get to next year, that’s when I hope we can really start seeing some progress.”
“I think this year is a big journey before the destination, so I’m excited for next year," added Raptors junior point guard Avery Walker.
