It’s a new season of basketball for Clayton Valley’s junior varsity Lady Eagles.

This year, the team has come out of the pre-season with a 9-5 record.

“It’s a pretty cool team and we’ve been improving a lot and coming together as a team,” said freshman Lizzie Scudero.

The Eagles defeated the Deer Valley Wolverines last Tuesday in overtime. The game was an even match for most of the regular playing time, however, the Eagles managed to squeak by with the win.

The Lady Eagles had another close game when they beat the Antioch Panthers last Friday.

Some of the key players on the team this year are freshmen Scudero, twins Lindsey and Kelsey Chambers, and sophomore Andrea Limos, according to coach Bernard Barnes.

“We are all good players even though we are not as old as the other team’s players,” said Lindsey Chambers. “I think we’re going to do excellent this season.”

The Eagles lost their first game of the regular season to Carondelet, but the Lady Cougars are widely regarded as the top team of the league, said Barnes.

The outlook for the rest of the season is much better than what the first game may show.

According to Barnes, the team should get 20 wins and “finish [the season] behind Carondelet.”

Staff writers Ami Mulligan and Sara Vatnsdal contributed to this story