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By Ray Hamill — A group of talented young seventh graders are setting a standard that will be tough to beat at Jacoby Creek Elementary School.

And more importantly, they’re going about it the right way and earning the respect of opposing coaches and fans.

The young Panthers recently closed out an undefeated season in girls basketball, finishing with a record of 16-0.

The Jacoby Creek girls finished 10-0 in league play and also won both tournaments they competed in, one at St. Bernard’s and one at McKinleyville.

But that’s not the only success they’ve enjoyed this year.

Earlier in the fall, many of the same girls played volleyball together and remarkably also went undefeated.

But while all of that is impressive on its own, what really caught the attention of their head coach Katy Freeman was the manner in which they played the game and how they earned the respect of their opponents.

“The sportsmanship was just top notch with this group,” Freeman said. “They did an amazing job. They’re a great group of girls, and everyone who watched them play said so.”

According to the coach, the players are friends with most of their opponents and it wasn’t unusual to see them high-fiving opponents or congratulating them after free throws in mid game.

And that sort of sportsmanship is what really stood out this season.

“One of the beautiful things about this team is that they have been playing together a long time,” Freeman said. “They’re coachable, they listen and they have a fun time.”

They also win a lot and are quickly developing their skill set.

Almost all of the 10 players can play just about anywhere on the court and that versatility played a pivotal role in their success this season.

“As a team, they were very well rounded,” the coach said. “They all played every position, which I think is pretty amazing. It didn’t matter who was coming in for who.”

Team captains Alysse Gildea and Jasmine O’Dowd helped set the tone for their teammates, along with newcomer Kamplyn Mohrmann, who joined the team this year after transferring from Freshwater and had an immediate impact while quickly fitting in.

All three standouts played guard.

Lucy Biondo, Cassidy O’Dowd, Gabriela Mollberg, Myka Nannizzi, Kjersrti MacDonald, Erin Thornburgh and Cadence Fitzmaurice rounded out the talented roster and all played key roles as well in the team’s success.

According to the coach, the team’s strength was defense.

“We were really good playing man-to-man defense and we’re quick,” she said. “Our transition is quick and we try to control the tempo of the game. We try to run other teams ragged and put pressure on them all the time.”

It’s a strategy that worked and the success they enjoyed this year should benefit these players and Arcata High basketball down the road.

And the coach was glad to be a part of it.

“I was blessed to be able to coach them and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for them,” Freeman said.