Both Michaela Shaklee and Sarah Bevington have been playing basketball for 13 years.

And for most of those 13 years, they have been playing together.

Now, they’re both juniors and are on a Ralston Valley team that currently finds itself ranked fourth in the state.

“We have shown that we can definitely compete with anyone,” Bevington said proudly after the Mustang’s one-point loss to the top-ranked ThundeRidge Grizzlies on Dec. 8.

This game in particular proved a lot about Ralston Valley’s girl’s basketball team and just how good it really is.

The girl’s basketball team is consistently one of RV’s best sports teams, and truly is full of star athletes.

Bevington stands six feet tall, is a three-sport varsity athlete and has a verbal commitment to Baylor University to play soccer.

Shaklee is averaging more than double the national average in points per game this year, and is a two-year varsity starter.

Fellow junior Ashley Van Sickle leads the state in steals per game at 4.7, and is second with assists per game at 6.5. The list goes on and on, and accolades like these are a common amongst the eight girls on varsity this year.

Despite their success, the Mustangs are not drawing fans to games, and that is disappointing considering the success of the team.

The biggest crowds the girls get all year are those before the boy’s games, and they’re really just there to wait.

“I think it’s because we are a bunch of girls so people don’t take us seriously,” Shaklee said. “No one thinks that we are as athletic as the boys. But we are. We also have a better team dynamic that shows on the court. We are the better team.”

So what will it take for Ralston Valley to start taking their girls basketball team seriously?

Maybe all it would take is going to a game.

The girls came into the season ranked 7^th in the preseason poles and have slowly climbed the Class 5A poll. They have an impressive 9-1 record with their only loss coming against ThundeRidge.

Crowd size aside, the girls are playing great and right about now the Mustang’s are confident.

“I feel like we can come out on any given night and compete with anyone,” Shaklee said.

Even with an eight-person roster, the Mustang’s have shown early this season that they really know how to run the court.

“It helps being able to play with the same five starters,” Bevington said smiling. “You really get to know them and how they play.”

Smiling is the appropriate reaction, and perhaps running the court is an understatement when looking at the team’s stats.

The Mustangs have absolutely dominated in every game this season with the exception of their lone loss. But even in losing, the Mustangs matched up well with a team considered among the state’s best.

Aside from the loss, the closest any team has come to beating the Mustangs is three points. In their past five games the Mustangs have blown out Silver Creek, 76-25, and Mountain Vista, 73-38.

For the season, RV has outscored its opponents 331-170.

The girls are on a hot streak right, and have a very important slate of games this week. Tonight, the Mustangs host Chatfield. On Friday, the team travels to Lakewood in a match up of the top two teams in the Jefferson County League.