The Padua Academy basketball team has been training hard for the season. The Varsity team is coached by Jason Matthews and assisted by Emily Grugan. The Junior Varsity (JV) team is coached by Fran Grugan and assisted by Sue Leonard. The team practices up to five times a week, and work hard to be the best they can be. They do many types of drills to train for the different parts of the game, offensive drills, defensive drills, and shooting drills.

One of the most important parts of the game is defense. The defensive team has the ability to gain possession of the ball, and to stop the other team from scoring. According to Freshman Courtney G., “We run a lot, so we can get back to defense faster.” Senior Rachel L., added, “We do sprints, run hills, and do circuits to get into better shape for the games. A lot of times when we are done running, we shoot foul shots. We do this after we run because we are tired in games, so we have to practice shooting when we are tired.” They also work a lot on their offense by running through their plays and doing lay-up drills, dribbling drills, and scrimmages. They always end the practice with five-on-five game situations. So far this season the Varsity team has a record of seven wins and six losses and the JV team has a record of five wins and four losses. Their season is coming to an end and the girls and coaches are hoping for the best.