North Haven girls’ basketball senior captain and shooting guard Julia Ball has been playing the game since she was six years old. Since getting into the sport at a young age, she has dedicated a lot of time and energy to improving. Fast forward to this season, in which Julia is a senior captain after facing a significant setback in her court progression.

Last year, Julia suffered a season-ending injury, tearing her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). After getting surgery done and going through the recovery process, Julia is back on the floor and proving to be a crucial part of the Nighthawks, although it has come with challenges.

“The toughest challenge was getting back into a rhythm and getting used to playing again,” says Julia. “Playing with pressure on the knee after not playing for nine months was probably the hardest.”

Although Julia needed surgery for her injury last year, she has bounced back with tremendous strides. According to Head Coach Jessica Neuweiler, she averages 19.6 points per game, four rebounds, 3.4 steals, and two assists.

Neuweiler admires Julia’s strength and ability to lead her team after being away from the court for a while.

“I think that she is in a unique position to lead the team, having a different perspective and seeing the game from a different point of view, and interacting with her teammates in a different way, really be a leader for her team because she was not able to play,” says Coach Neuweiler. “I think that experience and overcoming that adversity has really helped her. She is a strong leader and is very vocal for our team.”

On Dec. 20, the Nighthawks defeated the Guilford Grizzlies 72-57. Julia led her team with 29 points, three rebounds, two steals, and one assist. Another standout game this season for Julia was on Dec. 23, when the Nighthawks beat the Cheshire Rams 52-35. Julia finished the game with 21 points, five rebounds, four steals, and two assists.

Julia is also involved in many activities off the basketball court, as she is also a member of the National Honor Society at North Haven High School, as well as the Spanish Honor Society. She also competes in outdoor track and field in the spring. Julia is just as dedicated to her schoolwork as she is to her on-court play.

“We have to keep up our grades to be on the basketball team,” says Julia. “I have always been really diligent about getting my work done and making sure I have good grades.”

Coach Neuweiler believes that the high standard Julia constantly sets for herself has allowed her to grow as an athlete and student.

“I think that she is razor focused, that helps her to work extremely hard in the classroom and to be a tremendous student-athlete,” says Neuweiler. “She sets the bar very high for herself and for her teammates. From what I have been able to see this season, she is achieving those goals and working hard, which you see in the well-roundedness in who she is.”

Coach Neuweiler shares that Julia is one of the biggest reasons why the Nighthawks have been able to start to reach some of their goals for this season.

“We set some very high goals for our team and for our season this year. Julia helps to hold herself and her teammates accountable to help us to be able to reach those goals,” says Neuweiler. “Every day in practice, we are working hard to improve on big things and little things, and Julia is a part of that. She is very focused and is able to really dial in to compete at a very high level.”

Julia’s ability to stay consistent game-to-game is another factor that has helped the Nighthawks to achieve winning results on the basketball court this season.

“I look for the open move, and I take what the opponents and defense give me; that just works really well,” says Julia. “My teammates know that if I’m open, or if they have the opportunity to cut and get a pass or an assist, that it’s always going to be there, and we are always going to look for that first.”