In high school sports, it’s not unusual for teams to have heavy turnover from year to year due to graduation. So when a coach brings back returning starters and contributors, it’s a huge advantage. 

This season, the Murray girls basketball team has the luxury of turning to some experienced players. 

The Spartans were 14-10 last season and 8-4 in Region 10, good enough for third place. Murray lost in the second round of the Class 4A state tournament a season ago. The leading scorer from that squad, Mia AuClaire, graduated, but plenty of familiar faces will be on the court this winter for the Spartans. 

Senior guard Charlotte Scherbel, a team captain last season, will be a big part of the Murray attack this season. She averaged 9.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game in 2023-24. Senior forward Bonnie Henricksen will also factor in heavily in Murray’s offense and defense. Last season, she scored four points a game and pulled down 3.2 boards a contest. Sophomore Brooklyn Richter got some valuable time as a freshman last season, scoring 1.7 points a game and grabbing 39 total rebounds. Her role and responsibilities will expand this year. Junior guard Brinley Forsyth is also someone head coach Holly Gillette is counting on this season. Gillette also has high hopes for junior forward Grace Taeoalii and junior guard Addison Allen. 

With this lineup, Gillette is confident her team will be competitive. 

“We have several returning players who won a state playoff game last year, and we also had a very successful junior varsity season,” she said. “We believe this group can compete for a region title, and we're going to work with that mindset.”

As last season progressed, Gillette said the Spartans got better at both ends of the court. She is optimistic that the girls will continue to get better both offensively and defensively. 

“We have been steadily improving our offensive execution and shot making, so we're hoping to continue that trend, while also making strides on playing solid, physical defense,” she said. 

As the new season gets underway, Gillette hasn’t set a certain number of victories as a goal, nor has she talked much about how far she thinks the team can go in the postseason. However, she believes that with hard work and a competitive spirt, the girls can put together a strong season and have a chance to win a lot of games. 

“Every game is an opportunity to prove yourself and show off the work you have been putting in, but you have to compete,” she said. “So if we can compete in every game, we'll consider ourselves to be very successful, and we think that will translate to our record.”

In addition to having experience on its side, Murray’s strengths include team unity, players with positive mindsets and competitors who understand what it takes to be successful. 

“We have players who work hard and give their all at every practice and game,” Gillette said. “We have unselfish players who work together.”

Murray began the season with a road game at Farmington on Nov. 21. It is one of two contests against Class 6A foes on the schedule; the other one is Dec. 17 at Riverton. Murray’s first home game was Nov. 22 against Cyprus. The first clash against a Region 10 foe will be Dec. 10 at Hillcrest. Murray will face all six region opponents twice. 

Though the Spartans will have their hands full with some quality opposition, Gillette doesn’t spend too much time focusing on other teams. She’s more concerned with what her girls are doing to get better and how Murray can accomplish its goals and play as a unified unit. 

“We try not to worry about other teams; our biggest challenge is ourselves,” she said. “We strive to be better than we were yesterday. As long as we keep doing that, we feel we can compete with anyone.”

Coaches love having skilled players with natural talent and abilities. But it takes more than these to win. Gillette appreciates other attributes that the Spartans bring to the court every day. 

“We have great kids with great attitudes who love the game and come ready to compete,” she said.