FARMINGTON, Minn. -- Farmington girls basketball has a new look this winter. The Tigers had quite a few seniors last season after not graduating anyone from the previous team. Gone are some of the top scorers from 2024-25. This season features an eight-player senior class and a new head coach.

Senior Lauren Jackson says the upperclassmen have a good connection, "I'm real excited for this year. Our senior group is really special. We've all been best friends for a long time. And also, our juniors are some of our best friends too."

She's excited for the style the Tigers will run, "We're going to play pretty fast this year. We have a lot of girls playing. So, this year we're going to run people the most we can and make them tired."

Keys to make that happen include "understanding spacing, where we need to be. Being on the same page and trusting our teammates.

"(Practice) has been intense to learn our new stuff…It's a fun new culture and we're excited to be playing all together," Jackson added. "New higher pace, new plays. It's just all different and it's really nice to learn and have a different style of play."

Senior Ashley Harrison is in her third year on varsity. Her message to new players, "Just have confidence. It's important to go out there and also have fun. The more fun you have and the more confidence you have, the better you're going to play. It's not always about making every single shot but making your teammates around you better."

She was among the top scorers last season and handles some point guard, "It's important that you control the game and that you're not out of control. And get your teammates set up correctly. So that you're able to perform at a high level."

Coach Adam Huppert arrives after being with the FHS boys program for the last 12 years. He jumped at the chance to head up the girls squad, "This opportunity came about. There's a rich history on the girls side. An opportunity for me to grow as a leader. 

"The community and parents have been super supportive." He's also coached football, lacrosse and some baseball.

He is putting in some new offensive schemes, "They're showing up everyday with an open mind. They're looking around, is this going to be a good play? And then it works. They're like, this is good. The strength of this team has been probably their buy-in."

Junior Ellie Peterson is a point guard in her second year on varsity. While there's an emphasis this season to "go fast. There are also times we're going to go slow here and be under control. Knowing that. Telling your teammates where they need to be."

Much of this season's scoring will come from different sources, "We had a lot of high scorers (seniors) last year. But I think we have people who have come up in the program that can pick it up from them and fill that gap."

Senior Carly Olson has played varsity since ninth grade and is a proven scorer. She likes the new offense, "It's good change and we've all been adapting to it.

"I feel like we have a pretty good group of girls. We all get along well. Have a good culture on our team. We all like playing together…I definitely feel we have a really positive group this year. We all encourage each other."

If she has a basketball question, her grandfather Len Olson, former Owatonna coach and member of the Minnesota Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame is just a phone call away, "I know if I ever need help or advice with anything I can always talk to him. He's been there throughout my whole basketball career.

"When I first started playing (varsity as a freshman) I didn't have a feel for it, but he definitely helped me gain confidence."

Huppert expects the whole team to contribute on defense, "I think we have the size to hold our own. But I think the strength is going to be just being able to guard one through five with a lot of different people."

FHS will play an aggressive man-to-man, "Teams are going to have to play team basketball against us. Hopefully, that's a strength of ours going forward where we're creating team basketball and not individuals," he says.

Player togetherness is crucial according to Huppert, "They're coming through some changes, and we wanted to support them and make it fun for them again. Really make it player central. But now, it's what can we get out of you on game day. Making that as competitive as some of these girls are. Teach them how to compete and being focused and ready every night."

Junior Scarlett Hedrick is a third-year power forward/shooting guard, "We have a younger team but knowing we have girls that have been together for a long time, especially in your grade. So, that will help us a lot this season.

"We do value our culture. And that we do support everyone and we're always kind. But also, how we really like competitive practices."

She says most players participate in the JAQS training program and off-season practices in addition to many being on AAU teams.

FHS plays four of their next six games at home which can be a big boost, "When our pep band comes it is like the most incredible experience because how powerful they are," says Hedrick.

The home opener is Saturday, November 29 against Woodbury at 1 pm. Edina comes to town on Tuesday, December 2. The Tigers travel to Rochester John Marshall on Saturday, December 6 for a 3 pm tip to face a Section 1AAAA opponent.

The South Suburban Conference schedule begins with a trip to Shakopee on Tuesday, December 9. Burnsville comes to FHS on Friday, December 12 followed by conference and section rival Lakeville South on Tuesday, December 16.

Farmington plays in the Breakdown Invitational after Christmas at the University of Northwestern-St. Paul in Roseville. They meet Totino-Grace on Friday, December 26 at 4:15 pm and play Chanhassen the next day at 11:30 am.

Lakeville North won the Section 1AAAA title last winter. Eastview won the conference and went to state, beating North in the third-place game. Farmington went 13-15 with a 6-11 mark in the SSC in '24-'25.

Peterson says attitude is important on those nights when the Tigers are the underdog, as their coach has told them, "We're just want to be able to throw a punch. We want to go out there and go hard...It's knowing you have nothing to lose. So, you might as well just go out there and play hard. Push each other."