After outscoring its opponents 200-92 in its first three games, the varsity girls basketball team won the Maine East Holiday Tournament with a 50-36 championship victory over Maine East on Nov. 23.

“We lost in the [holiday tournament] championship my sophomore year, and I wanted that redemption,” said senior Brooke Blumenfeld. “We played really good as a team. The defense of some girls who had specific assignments was on that game.”

One of the team’s strengths is that it is full of great shooters, Blumenfeld said.

“[Opponents] can’t just guard one person, they need to guard everyone on the court because everyone can score,” Blumenfeld said.

According to Nick Capalbo, head girls varsity basketball coach, the girls started the season strong because of their dedication to off-season training.

“Last year wasn’t our best year,” said Capalbo. “But [the girls] took a lot of time this summer in the off-season and [have gotten] a lot better.”

Senior Sarah Ryan said in a phone interview that three to six players typically stay an extra 45 minutes, after the team’s two and a half hour practice, to shoot around and get individualized advice from Capalbo and assistant coach Steve Weissenstein.

Along with long practices, Blumenfeld’s return after her second ACL tear, which caused her to miss her junior season, has also benefited the team, Ryan said.

Blumenfeld is committed to play Division I basketball at Northern Illinois University next year.

“Brooke is such an amazing player, and I have played with her my entire life, so I know how incredible she is,” said Ryan. “She has such a passion for the game, and it makes everybody want to play better.”

According to Blumenfeld, she credits a lot of the team’s success to freshman Alexis Myers.

“She can see passes that no one else can see,” said Blumenfeld. “I’ve never played with anyone like her before. She is the most unselfish player I’ve ever played with.

“She’s an amazing 3-point shooter, and if they attack her she’ll just dish it off to me,” said Blumenfeld. “She [does] no-look behind the back passes. She’s absolutely insane.”

As of Dec. 13 the team is 5-3. Blumenfeld is leading the team with 17 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, while Myers is pacing the team with 6 assists per game.

The team has many goals this season, one of which is winning its second regional championship in school history, the first having been in 1993, Capalbo said.

“I want to win over 20 games, then maybe make a run in the state tournament [and] win a sectional,” Capalbo said.