As we watch the high school basketball season start, be on the lookout for sophomore Meredith Dufner. She is the shooting guard for Warren Hills’ Girls Basketball Team, as well as an academic standout and an officer on the Student Council.

 Dufner is a starter on the varsity basketball team. She also played at the varsity level last year as a freshman.

She has been playing basketball since the third grade, but before then she was still always surrounded by it because her older siblings played. 

“I started playing because all my siblings were, and my family has always been very involved with basketball,” she said. “I basically grew up in the basketball gym. My biggest inspiration is actually my older sister, Meghan. I have watched, learned from and admired her from a young age.”

 This led to Meredith Dufner becoming a very skilled and strong player. 

One of Dufner’s many accomplishments in her sports career is earning her varsity letter as a freshman. Not only did she letter in basketball, but she also lettered in soccer and golf. Those are just a few of her many accomplishments. 

When asked about her future basketball career, Dufner was still thinking about her options. 

“I want to play after high school, but it depends on what college I go to and what I major in,” she said. 

Dufner’s favorite memory as a basketball player is when she played Chatham in the North 2 Group 3 quarter finals last year.

“It was the first time I’ve played in front of a crowd that big, and it was a lot of fun, even though we lost.” she said. 

 For good luck in all of her games, and even for just an all-around good season, Dufner said she keeps a tie-dye headband in her bag.

 “I used to wear this headband when I was little, but as I grew older, I decided leaving it in my bag brings me just as much luck,” she said.

 She also owns a basketball that she named Petunia. She uses this ball for good luck when she practices at home.

Dufner admitted that she sometimes struggles keeping up with sports and her school commitments.

“Being an honors student is hard enough, but having to balance a sport on top of that is almost impossible,” said Dufner, whose grade point average easily places her in the top 10 percent of the class of 2025. “The time management it takes to be a student athlete is insane.”

Dufner, however, can not only balance academics and sports as a student-athlete; she is also the secretary of the Student Council. She continues to earn solid grades, help with Student Council issues, and work nonstop as a three-sport triathlete. 

Last year as a freshman on the varsity basketball team, she scored 65 points for the season. She also accumulated 17 assists and 55 rebounds. 

“She’s a cool gal,” said a teammate, senior Emma Smith.  “It’s electric to play with her. I’ve never met such a beautiful soul.” 

Social Studies Teacher Meghan McGeehan, who coached Dufner before retiring from coaching, said that Dufner “is very intelligent about the game–a real asset to any team. She made me reconsider retiring because I saw a lot on the horizon for her. She is fantastic.”