POULSBO — Legendary Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach once said, “Basketball is like war in that offensive weapons are developed first and it always takes awhile for the defense to catch up.”

The Poulsbo Panthers girls’ basketball team has taken this message to heart. And when it comes to the squad’s upcoming season, protecting its own hoop is the team’s top priority — while others attempt to “catch up.”

“The focus this year is on defense,” commented ninth grader Ashley Tobin. “Coach (Karla) DeVries wants us to be more disciplined.”

The defensive strategy, developed by DeVries, is centered around team speed, which the Panther coach said she thinks is some of the best she’s ever seen on the squad.

“I’m really excited about how quick we are, especially on defense,” DeVries said.

However, she did not want to divulge too much information concerning their sets, keeping them a secret that was revealed when the team competed at Oak Bay Feb. 15 (after Herald deadline). DeVries would say, however, that her team’s experience and speed lends itself to battle teams one-on-one when it comes to defense.

“We have the personnel to play some tough man-to-man,” DeVries admitted. “And I prefer not to go to zone.”

DeVries and her team said they’re counting on tough defense to win more games than a year ago, when the team finished at 7-5. Their Kingston counterparts went all the way to an undefeated season, and the Panthers have big plans to disrupt their biggest rivals’ unbeaten streak this year. But DeVries admitted that a certain portion of the focus has to be on overall improvement to ensure that the girls will be ready for high school ball. Given the team’s motivation, DeVries isn’t too worried.

“They’re hard workers and they want to get better,” DeVries said. “They’re focused and enthusiastic.

“It’s fun to be around them because they work so hard,” she added.

The Panthers will use their speed to make up for what they admitted was a decidedly shorter squad.

“We’re lacking in height,” Tobin said, “But I think we can still do pretty well.”

“We may not be that tall, but we definitely have the athletic skills,” added the Panthers’ Jordan Jewett. “There’s a lot of talent on this team.”

The team is also young — only ninth graders Tobin and Jewett have varsity experience. From there, ninth graders Alycia Bazar, Shallee Ellington, Darcey Hughes, Becca Refoy and Kelli Weedin each either played JV last year, or made the team for the first time.

Part of the overall junior high experience is getting the players working together well as a team. Jewett appears to have learned that idea well.

“We’re gonna work together and not get mad at each other,” Jewett said. “Stick together and work our hardest.”

But while the Panthers are still battling for junior high school league supremacy, the team said they’ll be working their tails off for wins. And it all goes back to the big ‘D.’

“Defense wins games,” Jewett said. “So if you don’t have good defense, you won’t be winning games.”

• Preivews for the Poulsbo and Kingston wrestling and girls’ basketball teams will be in the Feb. 19 edition.