COLFAX — Michaela Graffunder has been involved in basketball for as long as she can remember.

Over the year, the former South Central Calhoun standout found herself embracing big wins while also working through difficult losses.

Recently, though, she was able to feel a first on the hardwood.

Graffunder led the Colfax-Mingo girls to their first win in three years last week, a 49-25 victory over East Marshall on their home floor.

The victory also marked the first in the head coaching career of Graffunder, who is in her debut season leading the Tigerhawks and came following two close losses to Southeast Warren and Martensdale-St. Marys by a combined eight points.

“It was an emotional night for me,” Graffunder said. “I’m very passionate and competitive about basketball, so it feels great to get in the win column. I’m thankful Colfax-Mingo gave me the chance to coach this team. The community and school support has been amazing, and I’m excited to see where we go this season.”

Following an 0-22 campaign in 2023-24, the Tigerhawks entered this year with several new faces including six freshmen who have already seen the court. One of them, Isabelle Foglesong, is the leading scorer.

Two juniors and three sophomores complete the roster for Graffunder, who played at both Iowa Central and Waldorf before coaching at Sioux City West for three seasons.

“It was great to see them get their first win,” Graffunder said. “I know it means a lot to our returners. They had a tough season last year, so I was happy they were able to experience their first varsity win.

“The girls have set high goals for themselves and we continue to hit our short-term goals. We were very close in our first two games so they were working hard to get this win. It was given them a lot of confidence going into conference play.”

Colfax-Mingo returned to the court on Tuesday when they host HLV, which just so happened to be Graffunder’s birthday.