Every year, as past seniors graduate, the team is left with a gap in which they must adapt or adjust too. A senior’s experiences and leadership is key to a well developed team, often demonstrating an ideal figurehead. For the Madison Girls Basketball team, this year it is up to Katerina Reigle.
Last year, Madison Girls Basketball had a very successful season. Their team consisted of 4 very strong seniors: Mallory Dineen, Gabby Mariani, Devon Johnson, and Charlotte Tuhy. Each player spent valuable time on the court, racking up a total of 1336 points all together. According to junior player Samantha Nielsen, “all seniors last year consistently set the tone at practice and helped guide me, as well as other players, to get through challenging games and practices.”
Katerina Reigle is a senior at Madison High School this year. She is a star soccer captain, played in the back field, and helped lead her team to a North 2 Group 2 sectional win this past fall. Reigle played for the girls basketball team for her first two years of high school, until her junior year where she stepped down to focus on her soccer athletic career. However, as we reach the 2025-2026 winter season, Reigle has decided to step back up, being the only senior player for the Madison girls basketball team. Reigle says “I decided to come back this year because it’s my senior year, and the last time I’ll get the chance to play a high school sport with some of my best friends.”
Being the only senior on the roster brings on different responsibilities and a unique kind of pressure. The leadership that is typically shared between each senior player, is now placed on only Katerina Reigle. Reigle explains saying “it definitely will be an adjustment, but in a way I enjoy it as I’m fully getting the opportunity to step up as a leader for the rest of the team.” This dynamic is quite different then what most high school teams are used to, and especially with Reigle’s attempt to rediscover her rhythm on the court, it might be a challenge.
Despite this shift, the Madison Girls Basketball team will enter this season with renewed motivation and a drive to be the best they can be. Using the same momentum they had throughout their past season, the girls team hopes to defend their title of sectional champions.