HU’s Betball team is working hard to finish the season off strong.ask

By Sarah Disbro, Staff Writer

The Huntington Women’s Basketball 2021-2022 season has gotten underway as the Foresters have had a test of non-conference games. 

Lori Culler’s team opened their season against the then ranked #14 team in the nation, Indiana Tech. The Foresters battled hard but came up short in a 61-50 loss. 

HU rebounded the opening loss with two straight wins over Cornerstone and Oakland City. 

After four straight losses, with three of the four being decided by ten points or less, the Foresters will look to turn things around as they begin their conference schedule. 

In the first official rankings of the season the Crossroads League is showing how tough the competition is, with three teams being nationally ranked. 

HU finished fifth last season in the league, going 9-7 in league play, and will look to build.

“I think our main goal to look to improve from last year to this year is to keep pushing each other and playing hard,” said Junior guard Dazia Drake. “We are a very young team, so with that comes some struggles, but we have to work hard on staying positive in those situations.”

Drake, along with sophomore forward, Emily Seboe, received preseason conference honors. 

Seboe was named a preseason Second Team All-League pick, while Drake was named to the Honorable Mention All-League Team. 

“Being picked to be on the honorable mention team is a huge honor, and I am grateful for that…I go out and play my hardest for my team,” said Drake. 

The Foresters will open their conference season on Saturday, November 20th, hosting Taylor University. Taylor was ranked #25 in the preseason poll but was dropped out of the top-25 in the most recent rankings. The Trojans were picked to finish second in the league, tied with Indiana Wesleyan. 

HU will then travel to take on Bethel University and Spring Arbor. In the preseason poll, Huntington was picked to finish sixth in the conference, with Bethel and Spring Arbor picked as the bottom two teams. 

Huntington will then face a tough test against their first ranked conference team, #23 Mount Vernon, who are predicted to finish fourth in the conference. 

After a short four game break from conference opponents, the Foresters will resume league play against University of Saint Francis, followed by back-to-back ranked opponents in #10 Marian and #13 Indiana Wesleyan. 

Saint Francis is predicted to finish just ahead of Huntington, in fifth place. While Marian is the league favorite to win the conference.

HU then hits the heart of its conference schedule as they play Grace College on January 15th at home. After that, they will travel up north to face Goshen, who was picked to finish just below the Foresters in seventh place.

From there, the Foresters will have chances to sweep, or to get redemption, as they face each conference team again. HU will finish its regular season on the road at Grace College on February 19th. 

Drake said to be successful this season, the team is focusing on “non-negotiables” they work on every practice. 

“Being there for each other…constantly keeping positive, loud energy…controlling our head, heart, and hustle…doing the little things to keep us together and working as a team keep us successful.”