Sure, Delaney Wood missed playing with her teammates.

But there were other elements of basketball the Hiawatha forward missed as she sat out last season, her junior year, electing to play travel volleyball instead.

“It was the first sport I played. I’ve been playing since I was 6,” Wood said. “I miss the environment. I miss throwing up orange balls all the time. It was an experience I wanted to finish for my high school career and I think it was a good decision for me. I’m loving it here.”

The Hawks (4-5) have already doubled their win total from last year, although they’ve lost four straight after Monday’s 35-32 loss to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Academy (1-4).

Wood’s return is a big part of that. At 6-2, her presence has allowed Brielle Molloy to move back to her natural shooting guard/small forward position.

“She’s finally out of that middle and she’s pretty happy about that,” Hiawatha coach Kenny McPeek said. “She gets a lot more outside shots. Tonight it didn’t look like it [0-for-2 on 3-pointers] but she still gets more of that. She’s not down inside rebounding and that’s it.”

Wood finished with 16 points, six rebounds, two steals and a block in the loss on Monday.

She shot 10-of-14 from the free throw line and had a hand in the Hawks’ press break.

“How often do you get a 6-2 guard who can shoot and knows the game?” McPeek said. “She’s a very smart player. It’s just nice to have her. There’s not a coach around that would complain if she showed up on their doorstep. I’m glad she’s playing.”

The Hawks committed 34 turnovers in the loss, struggling against the half-court trap the Guardians employed throughout the game.

And when the trap wasn’t working, the rebounds were bouncing OLSHA’s way. Rachel Bageanis and Bella Krien, two of the smallest players on the court, combined for 20 rebounds, including a team-high 11 for Bageanis.

Molloy finished with a game-high 12 rebounds to go with nine points, four steals and two blocks.

The Hawks won two games last year, and played most of the season with just five varsity players. This season, the Hawks have enough players not only for a seven-player rotation but also a junior varsity team.

Molloy said it’s a pretty big difference from last year.

“Last year I was exhausted,” Molloy said. “I was like, woof, I need a break. I need some water.”

The Hawks led by as much as eight Monday and didn’t trail until the final four minutes of the fourth. They cut the lead to 35-32 with 52.7 seconds left on a putback by Wood.

But the Guardians were able to control the clock the rest of the way behind three offensive rebounds and quick ball movement. The Hawks were unable to foul OLSHA or grab a rebound.

Molloy said, even with more depth this year, the team may be slowing down heading into the holiday break.

“We started off pretty good but lately I just think we’ve been getting a little exhausted,” Molloy said. “We all put our 100% out there and have fun.”

Molloy said the team is very young this year, even with her and Wood both in their senior campaigns. She said despite Monday, turnovers have been trending downward and she hopes to see that trend continue Friday and Saturday as the Hawks host their second annual Hiawatha Holiday Tournament.

The Hawks play Rockford East at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Round Lake at 11:30 a.m. Saturday in pool play before the placement game.

Wood said the chemistry is one of the strongest aspects of the team and is optimistic this can be the most successful year for the Hawks in a while. Since the pandemic, the team hasn’t won more than eight games in a year, which happened in the 2023-24 season.

“We all have a really good bond and it starts with that,” Wood said. “We all hang out with each other in and out of school. It all starts with that connection. Once two people like each other, it goes to three and four and five. Then we all just mesh.”