Woodstock
Since then, the team has grown to include athletes from four towns while blossoming into one of the top travel programs in Vermont.
Now comprised of seventh- and eighth-graders, the Galaxy won the Division I eighth-grade state championship tournament at the University of Vermont last month.
A perfect 24-0 when they finished the tournament, the Galaxy’s showing at Patrick Gym earned it a trip to the AAU Girls Basketball Eighth-Grade National Championship tourney at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla., on July 13-17.
“They’ve come a long way since they were third- and fourth-graders,” said Galaxy coach Helen Jenks, a Chelsea native who played in a national AAU tournament herself 20 years ago with a Bradford, Vt.-based team. “Back when we first started, they just didn’t want to stop playing after the recreation-league season, but we didn’t win many games when it came to the AAU level. Now we’ve just kept adding players, and our skills have gotten a lot better. It’s pretty exciting.”
Wins in the first two rounds in Burlington over the Hendricks Vipers and Vermont Breeze earned the Galaxy the tournament’s No. 1 seed and a bye in the quarterfinals.
In the semis, the Galaxy rode strong games from sisters Sydney and Hayley Goodwin. Hayley Goodwin’s 12 points and Sydney’s 11 points and 13 rebounds helped fuel the Galaxy’s 41-31 win over the Vipers. In the championship game against the Northern Lady Warriors, Wilder product Jasmine Jenkins had 20 points, four rebounds and three steals, Sydney Goodwin added 19 points and nine rebounds and Hayley Goodwin had 14 points and seven rebounds in the Galaxy’s 60-50 win.
The Galaxy sank 25 of 33 free throws to aid the victory, a satisfying finish to the tourney after losing in double overtime in the quarterfinal round a year ago.
“The girls definitely had redemption on their minds,” said Jenks. “I think the goal was to medal — place first, second or third — but they really showed they wanted to go all the way and get to nationals.”
Jenks takes a liberal approach to lineups and assignments, shuffling things up based on effort and commitment. Many of the players have seen time at both guard and forward within Jenks’ varying schemes.
“I mix it up a lot; it’s all about what the girls show me they can do,” said Jenks. “A lot of it has to do with their attitude and effort. If I put in a starting five and they’re not working hard, it’s going to be a different starting five the next time.
“A lot of it can be related to attendance, too. If someone misses a practice before a game, they’re not going to be in the starting five, no matter what the reason is (for the absence).”
The Galaxy has developed strong chemistry in spite of its interchangeable lineups. Continuity has helped — 11 of the 14 have been on the team for two or more seasons — while new additions have contributed seamlessly even while coming from disparate communities and competitve backgrounds.
Madison Withington, of Hartland, joined the program in year two with a couple of other Hartland Elementary School students, while the Goodwin sisters — home-schooled West Lebanon residents who play for the Mid Vermont Christian junior high team in Quechee — came aboard last year.
This year marks the first season for the team’s trio of Woodstock Union Middle School players, Jane Lackley, Morgan Myers and Emma Tarleton, who during the winter season square off against the team’s Hartford-based players in recreation league.
“We all work really well together; it doesn’t matter if it’s your first year on the team,” said Sydney Goodwin, the team’s starting point guard on most nights. “Especially this year, I’d say our attitudes are really good.”
Like most junior high teams, perfecting fundamentals remains a point of emphasis. Unlike some, theirs are well-honed.
“We’re doing a lot of the little things better,” said Jenks. “Things like jump stops, driving into the paint, dribbling with our heads up. When you can do those things, it gives you an advantage.”
The Galaxy are committed to stalwart man-to-man defense. When it comes to offense, Jenks wants the team to play off what the defense shows.
“With our offensive sets, I want them to be creative and play with instinct,” said Henks. “I want them to be able to read the defense and make their own decisions on the court.”
Hartford seventh-grader Kyla McCoy thinks having girls from an array of backgrounds helps the team thrive.
“It gives us more talent, and you get to meet new people and learn about them,” she said. “It’s cool, because instead of being rivals, now we get to work together.”
The Galaxy Girls are fundraising to make their trip to the National Championship tournament possible. For more information or to donate, visit www.gofundme.com/galaxygirls.
Jared Pendak can be reached at jpendak@vnews.com or 603-727-3225.