Throughout the 2025-2026 varsity girls basketball season, two players have stood out on the court and on the scoreboard. Those players are juniors Payton Starwalt and Natalie Tidwell. 

     Starwalt and Tidwell shine not only because of their skill, but also because of their leadership and how that impacts the team. 

     “The way they just took control of the game, and just their leadership was amazing,” freshman Emily Hokama said. “Their energy was amazing, and they helped so much when they were staying calm, even under pressure.”

     Starwalt and Tidwell don’t just motivate the team by scoring; they lead by example, keeping their composure in high-stress situations. Those stressful moments are bound to happen when a team is in the playoffs, and especially when they’re vying for the state championship. 

     “Knowing that two of our top performing players were under control and knew exactly what they needed to do, they were effectively able to calm everyone else down, just know that we were able to achieve what we needed to achieve,” sophomore Lily Hamblin said.

     Staying calm and leading by example is just as important as scoring in basketball. 

    “They also led us with how they were able to shine within those games and [allowed] everyone else a time to shine as well,” Hamblin said. “So not only did they have their moments, they were able to be unselfish and let everyone else have their own time.”