Staff photo / Dan Hiner Canfield’s Jenna Triveri, right, looks up at the basket after a pump fake during the third quarter of Monday’s game against Poland at Poland Field House.

POLAND — When the Canfield girls basketball team beat Poland on Monday at Poland Field House, the players went to the locker room and quickly changed to go back to the gym. From there, the players met with their families, but eventually the bulk of the team stood behind the visiting bench to talk.

There wasn’t a rowdy postgame speech or talk of basketball after beating their rival. Instead, it was just a group of friends having conversations.

It was an example of the bond that the Cardinals have after playing a few years of varsity games together.

“We all call each other ‘best friends.’ It honestly feels like we’re just a bunch of sisters playing on the court together,” senior Jenna Triveri said. “That’s what’s making our season so special. Obviously, we miss our two seniors from last year. They contributed great work, but this group’s special, and it’s because we’re all like sisters.”

Last season, the Cardinals’ campaign ended with a loss to Streetsboro in the regional semifinals. While Canfield was disappointed in the result, there was a sense of optimism around the program since most of the roster was coming back.

“What do they want next year to be? We’re gonna celebrate this year after the sting of losing wears off a little bit,” Canfield head coach Matt Reel said following the playoff loss. “We like our group coming back. I think what’s going to determine (future success) will be that they got a taste of it. Hopefully we stay healthy enough and a lot of things go your way, and maybe we have a chance to get back here next year.”

And so far, the Cardinals have put themselves in position for another successful season. It starts with their defense, which has allowed 36.1 points per game through the first nine games.

Canfield is 8-1 so far this season, and they won eight straight after dropping their season opener to Stow-Monroe Falls, 35-27. The winning streak includes some high-end talent like Norton and Massillon.

“I’m proud of where we’re at as a team,” Reel said after the Poland game. “We got a long way to grow, but this team just finds ways to be successful, and that’s what I’m most proud of. They allow us to coach them real hard.”

That willingness to be coached and focus on improvement started late in the fall. There were members of the girls basketball team that competed in other sports, so it took a little longer to get everyone in the gym.

But once they got together, they locked in on the hoops season. And with the Cardinals moving from Division IV to D-III this season, Reel just wants his girls to focus on getting better every day, which the girls have bought into.

“They just keep getting better, and what excites me is that there’s so much room for growth with this team,” Reel said. “They’re a hard-working group, and that’s always in the back of their mind, but boy, when they give you the effort that they give you, we’ll live with the results.

“Obviously, everybody expects you to get back to where you were, and that’s always a goal in the back of your mind. But moving up to Division III, that’s an entirely different level of competition.”

Reel wants his seniors to have a special season, but so do the other girls on the team. However, that begins with getting better, taking it one game at a time and enjoying the ride of a basketball season.

“That’s what makes us so special, because we give each other the ball, we’re not selfish,” Triveri said. “All we want to do is win.”