ABOVE: Courtney Anderson.

TRIMONT — Martin County West Mavericks girls basketball player Courtney Anderson hopes to make a state tournament run in her junior season and has full confidence in her team’s ability to get the job done come this year’s playoffs.

The two-year starter gained her varsity slot in her sophomore year, showing her ability as a player early and often. Participating in three sports, Anderson’s go-to sports are basketball and softball.

“I think they just have more like an adrenaline rush,” said Anderson. “Kind of the level of competition in them that’s a little bit higher up.”

Anderson started playing sports back in third grade with the encouragement of her parents and has continued to develop as a player over the year. While she is still in her junior year, she has started looking toward going to college and pursuing a career as a veterinarian.

Anderson is currently deciding whether or not to continue her athletic career in college but is currently enjoying the time competing alongside her friends. Off of the court, Anderson enjoys her free time either doing puzzles or exploring the outdoors with friends and family.

Anderson’s added interest in basketball has helped the Mavericks begin the season 8-3 overall, with a 7-0 mark in the Tomahawk-Valley Conference, Valley Division.

Anderson stated that a reason for that starts is that the team has excellent chemistry and communication, which keeps things running smoothly on the court.

“We actually have really good team chemistry,” said Anderson. “Like, if we have a fight, we don’t bring it on the court, and then we resolve it off the court. So, like, we don’t bring anything into practice or into games.”

Anderson stated that she is more than confident in the team’s ability to make a run at the state tournament this year, stating that the combination of team chemistry and defensive play are major factors in the Mavericks’ success.

Perhaps the biggest challenge, however, will be how the team handles adversity.

“I think our biggest challenge would be overcoming losses,” said Anderson. “Like if we’ve had a bad day.”

The Mavericks will take that adversity test early this new year after suffering back-to-back losses in a Windom tournament to end 2024.

The Mavericks still have every reason to be confident this season and are poised to make a deep run if they continue their current level of production. They take on Maple River at 7 p.m. on Friday.