Wednesday Night, the team made their 115th point, a new single-game record, in the last 10 seconds with Dasia Potter shooting a 3-pointer to end the game. The victory over Ridgewater also gave the Lady Jays their 26th win, which broke the single-season record.

What an exciting last home game for the team, but a very memorable night for the three sophomores. Wednesday's game was "Sophomore Night", which gave the team, the fans, and the college a chance to recognize the players.

While this season hasn't always been easy, with some of the starting players out with injuries or illness, the team motto is "Never give up," quoted from all three sophomores. Watching the communication and encouraging attitudes that the whole team possesses, you can see why the team has 26 overall wins.

Small-town sophomore, Dannyn Peterson #33 at 5'9, plays Forward for the Lady Jays Basketball Team. She played volleyball, basketball and track in High School. Peterson grew up in the small town of Tulare, SD and knew Minnesota West would be a good fit. Her love for horses pushed her to pursue a degree in Ag Business at Minnesota West and an internship with a local veterinarian.

"Our goal is to return to the National Tournament and place first in the conference," says Peterson. Right now, with a 26-2 overall, the team is not far from that destination. Rochester has a tight lead, ranking first in the Southern Division. Followed closely by Lady Jays in second.

After the very first loss against Dordt college in November 2022, the Lady Jays upped their game with communication and positivity. They came back to defeat the team 84-68 on December 2, 2022. Working hard in the gym at practices and overall a great team atmosphere has led to many wins this season. A few of the girls even have rituals before each game. Peterson said, "I wear the same socks for every game." Tia Murray talked about how she listens to a 90s rap playlist to get hyped up. Madisyn Huisman commented, "I get to the gym early to get my form shots in and clear my head."

#32 Tia Murray at 6'0, plays Forward and is our second sophomore highlighted. "My goal this season was to make my teammates better and contribute to winning games, and I think I accomplished that so far," says Murray. Last year the team had gone through adversity at times, but played hard and came out 4th in the nation. The team never gave up. In January, Murray had 16 rebounds in the game against Western Tech from La Crosse, WI, which was a career-high for her. "The stands have been packed, and we love to see the support."

Murray bartends at Round Lake Vineyards currently, and plans to continue her college basketball career back in Omaha, near her hometown of Elkhorn, NE. She is taking her general education credits at Minnesota West and plans to transfer in the fall.

Glass-half-full sophomore, Madisyn Huisman #5, is our 5'9 Guard. Huisman is a Worthington native, who had an easy decision to come to Minnesota West and not travel too far to continue to play basketball. While enrolling into the Administrative Assistant Program here on campus, Huisman knows she has made life-long friends on the court. "Relationships and having a positive attitude are important to me, and this year our team clicks well together. We get loud, cheer, and support each other," says Huisman. She talked about the obstacle of injuries or illnesses and being prepared to have a great game either way.

After catching up with Peterson, Murray, and Huisman, each player talked about how their coaches, Moz and Avery, have pushed them to be their best while keeping the team positive. Peterson said, "Coach doesn't let us give up and encourages us to 'Have a game' each week."

All three sophomores have had memorable coaches throughout their basketball years. Peterson said, "My High School Coach Kristi Smith helped me bounce back from 3 surgeries on my hips, I will never forget that." Huisman referenced her WGBA coach, Pat Williams. "Coach Williams was a huge part of why I came to love basketball. He pushed me to be the best I could be. He is a big fan at our games at Minnesota West and I hear him cheering us on and it makes me happy," said Husiman. Tia Murray references her dad being her lifelong coach, and a big supporter of Minnesota West, as he went to college here as well. "My dad is why I am the player I am today on the court," Murray stated.

Lady Jays are headed on the road Saturday, for their last regular season game, to Rochester Community College where they have an opportunity to give the No. 1 ranked team their first loss this season.

Region Tournament is February 24-26 at Anoka-Ramsey to determine qualifiers for the NJCAA Division III Championship Tournament in Rochester, MN, March 15-18.