A traditional high school basketball team consists of a small set of interchangeable starters and a bench filled with players who see minimal playing time.

This year, the girls’ basketball team has defied conventional logic because the seven bench players make this year’s team a feared Southwest Preparatory Conference (SPC) Division-I title contender.

“We have twelve really amazing players, which means that we aren’t constantly relying on the same people to score every game,” said senior co-captain Dani Goodman, who leads the team in points per game with 15.5, good enough for 15th in the Metroplex among 3A and private schools. “Everyone contributes something. That allows for us to succeed even when our best players have an off-night.”

Because the team has such a deep bench this year, it is able to utilize its press defense and “five-out” offense, which is an offense consisting of a series of screens and cuts, throughout a game.

They use the strategy to quickly tire out other teams.

“We have changed from kind of a generic offense to one that allows for us to use our speed and size to our advantage,” Dani said. “We have become a really fast paced team. Because of how the team has changed, we are able to apply a more steady defense throughout the game to tire out the other team because of the amount of great defense we have coming off of the bench.”

The most unusual trait about the team’s fortified bench this year is that it is mostly comprised of sophomore players.

Sophomore Hannah Orth, who is in her second year on varsity, is averaging 5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game. She said that the sophomore class has been playing with each other for a very long time.

The new sophomores on varsity, along with the second-year sophomore players, have been able to make immediate contributions.

“Although we all look to the four seniors to lead the team, the sophomores hold a bigger role,” Hannah said. “Everyone has to step up and lead at one time or another, and we can’t solely rely on the upperclassmen to do all the work.”

This year, the team has encountered an increased amount of away games and tournament games.

During the course of the season, the girls will have played a total of 32 games including tournaments. Of those, only eight will be home games. Also, from Dec. 1 to Jan. 5, the team played 12 consecutive away games.

“It rotates from year to year,” said Darryn Sandler, Girls’ Varsity Basketball Head Coach. “We had a lot more home games last year. As much as I enjoy playing at home, playing on the road really helps prepare us for counter games and SPC.”

Not only have the away games provided experience towards counter games and the SPC tournament, but the long drives have also allowed the team to become close and create a chemistry that exists on and off the court.

“Road trips are our team bonding time,” said senior Danielle Brown. “It allows us to all get to know each other even better, which inevitably flows over into how comfortable we are with playing on the court with each other.”

The combination of its bench and chemistry is helping the team to improve upon last year’s D-II Championship and aim for the team’s first D-I Championship win since the 1999 season.

        “The kids who played last year have a bitter taste in their mouth knowing that they could have won [the SPC Championship] as we handily  beat both teams in the finals,” Coach Sandler said. “They learned that you can’t take any game for granted.”

Even though team wins are the priority, it is worth noting the individual achievements of four-year players Dani Goodman and senior Grace Wielebinski.

During a Dec. 10 game against Grace Preparatory Academy of Arlington, Dani surpassed one thousand points, becoming the third player in the Greenhill program to complete the task.

In a Dec. 8 game against Ovilla Christian School, Grace eclipsed the 500-steal mark when she stole a ball with a few minutes remaining in the second quarter.

She holds the all-time steal record for girls’ basketball at Greenhill. Also, with 5.9 assists per game, Grace is ranked first among 3A and private schools in the category this season and fourth overall in Texas.

The team holds a record of 19-9 (4-1) as of Feb. 4, which accurately reflects the talent, bench production, experience, and chemistry that has been accompanying the players all season long.