Winter is fast approaching Naperville, and along with the snow, my favorite sport is coming into season: girls basketball.

I always receive puzzled glances after proclaiming womens basketball to be my favorite sport to report on, but it’s the truth. Maybe it’s the fact that my mother was an all-state point guard in high school. Or maybe it’s because I could only cover girls basketball last year because my former editor only wanted to cover the boys team. However, I do know that the energy the girls bring onto the court is intoxicating, and that each one of their games leaves me buzzed.

Of course, that is not to say that the boys basketball team does not bring equal enthusiasm to their games. But due to masculine pride shared by most male athletes, boys will often internalize their emotions during a game. Although having a calm, focused mind will often improve performance, it can sacrifice the pathos of the sport; it sometimes seems to me that boys are completely void of emotion while on the court. And how fun is that to watch?

Girls, on the other hand, seem to play every match as if it were a championship. Every ounce of joy, frustration and anguish can be felt from the bleachers. Victory seems sweeter to the girls and defeat all the more bitter. I find it impossible to watch and not get sucked in to all the drama that unfolds on the court.

This year is bound to be an entertaining one from the lady Huskies. With returning athletes like junior Laurel Periera, senior Kayla Sharples and senior Olivia Stapleton, the girls team chemistry is already looking pretty solid, and their talent is running deep. Only time will tell what the season holds for this group of girls. One thing is for sure, though: you’ll be able to find me in the crowd for every home match this winter.