The Kelly College Prep girls basketball team is filled with soccer players who can run for long periods of time. That’s how how fourth-year varsity head coach Hector Hernandez likes it.

“In the community I’m in, this is a soccer community,” Hernandez said. “I knew I was never going to be able to run a zone defense or a slow-paced game because we’re just going to get outmatched. Our tallest girls are probably 5-2, 5-3, 5-4. I’ve got a bunch of soccer girls and let’s be honest, soccer girls can run for days. So I literally said, ’Okay, we’re just going to create mayhem on the floor. Let’s just press all game.’ Our scoring comes from our defensive steals. We get a steal, make a layup. Get a steal, make a layup.”

In the four years since Hernandez has been the Trojans girls basketball coach, the Trojans have continued to move up in the Chicago Public League.

From the Green Central to the Blue/South Central then to the White South Central, the Trojans will move to the Red South/Central next season after a season that at one featured a 25-game winning streak.

The Trojans moved up to the White after going 9-0 (8-0 in conference play) Kelly carried momentum into the 2021-22 season thanks to returning seniors Griselda Gurrola (four-year varsity player) and Alyssa Valdez (three-years on varsity). The duo is averaging nearly 12 combined steals per game. Junior Malya Hill averages just over 10 points and 10 rebounds per game (as of January 26). As a team, the Trojans average nearly 23 steals per game.

The Trojans have seven seniors, four of whom are starters.

Hernandez said one factor in the winning streak was a non-conference schedule that could have tested his squad more. Still, the Trojans weren’t tripped up once they entered conference play. They have won 12 games by at least 20 points.

“About halfway through the middle of conference season, we were still undefeated,” Hernandez said. “Our non-conference schedule … it wasn’t as tough as I wanted it to be, but we just kept on winning. We kept on blowing people out. Conference season started and we literally kept blowing people out. I think that was when they realized we could do it again.”

After seeing their winning streak come to an end against Dyett on Jan. 14, the Trojans ripped off wins against Perspectives-IIT/Joslin, Solorio and Juarez to claim another conference title and secure the program’s next move up.

.⁦@ThomasKelly_HS⁩ girls 🏀 finishes conference season with 2 W’s. Varsity finished up season with a W over Solorio 47-11. 17-1 overall 8-1 in conference. JV knocks off Solorio 44-2. 10-1 overall 5-1 in conference. pic.twitter.com/KhvllZTsxF

— KCP Girls 🏀 (@GirlsKcp) January 22, 2022

“Going up to the Red, you just want to compete,” Hernandez said. “I don’t want to be one of those teams that stays up there for one (season) and goes down. … I know aspirations of wanting to win the Red are probably not attainable, but I just want to compete next year.

“It’s all a system here,” he added. “As long as I keep getting soccer girls, we’ll keep winning.”