Nighthawks Girls Basketball on a Roll Into Winter Break

As we come out of winter break and into the new year, the Northfield Nighthawks girls basketball team will look to build on their hot start to the 2025-26 season last December. They started the season with an impressive 7-1 record and won their last three games before the break as part of the Nike Tournament of Champions. 

Just like the boys team, the Nighthawks’ girls are in their second year as a 6A program. Last year, the team finished with a 12-11 record overall and 5-3 in league play. This was enough to get them into the state tournament in just their first season competing at the state’s highest level. Even though this was a successful year, the road was tougher for the Nighthawks, and they did not win as many games in the regular season or the playoffs as they did in prior years competing in a lower division. Of the change to the higher division, Nighthawks Head Coach Sydney Price said, “I don’t know if I see it as a challenge. I think there is an adjustment that needs to be made playing at the 6A level.” She also highlighted the preparation needed for the addition of the shot clock coming next year, which will increase the pace of Colorado high school basketball, in both the girls’ and boys’ games. This year, though, Northfield is looking to make a deeper playoff push. Along with winning games, Coach Price said, “Our goals are to play together, be conditioned, play disciplined, learn and understand the game, and compete at the highest level.”

So far, the Nighthawks’ scoring has been led by a trio of juniors, all averaging double digits in points per game. This trio includes forward Delaney Dennis and the Taylor twins, London and Paris. Dennis averages 5.7 rebounds on top of her scoring. Coach Price said about Dennis, “She’s helping us in some pretty good ways this year, both offensively and defensively, as well as being a leader.” The Taylor twins did not play for Northfield last year and have proven to be a significant addition to the team. Coach Price said about them, “I think they are just super athletic, super competitive kids. They want to stay in the gym. They want to stay in the weight room. So I think they bring a level of toughness to the program.”

In addition to the immediate success these juniors have had this year, they will also provide the team with continuity. Next year, the team will have many of these same main pieces, as well as forward Laporsha Allen, another junior, who averaged 10 points per game last year, but is dealing with injuries this year. Coach Price also highlighted Madison Bethel and Faith Nelson, two more juniors, as key contributors to the team. As a whole, she has seen this class grow as they have moved from the lower levels of the program to varsity. She says, “... I think they’ve started to gain experience and understand what it means to play high school basketball. So I see some maturity from our junior class that is leading us this season.”

Coach Price is also excited about the potential of the future for Northfield girls basketball. She said, “I think our lower-level players, with JV and even our C-team or development team, they’re all very eager and coachable.” Overall, it is clear that Northfield is building a strong girls basketball program, and this season is shaping up to be an exciting and successful one for the Nighthawks.

The team’s first game after break will be at Standley Lake on Tuesday, January 6.