The girls JV basketball team lead off the night of November 20th, beating Parker by a score of 50-5.

The win moved them to 2-0.

For first-year coach and social studies teacher Heidi Hemming, who was the coach of the JV 2 team last year, the team’s start is exactly what she hoped for.

“We had even scoring, so this was a team win,” she said. “I liked how everybody communicated.”

Coaching is in her blood. Her dad Mike, a Craig alum, is the JV girls coach at Portage and was her coach in high school.

“My dad taught me everything about coaching,” she said.

Her move to the JV 1 level has been different. For one, it means coaching in the competition gym instead of the field house.

“In the field house, there aren’t as many fans, and they are across the court,” she said.

She acknowledged feeling “a little nervous” before the game.

With a large roster of 15 players, she knows it will be a challenge to balance the playing time. “We had three girls move into our lineup for the Parker game, which presented a challenge to give everybody a chance to play,” she said.

She is excited for the rest of the season. “I can’t believe how much I love coaching,” she said.

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