Article by Jenna Jochum
"The Norfolk Panther Girls Basketball team is the 2015 state runner-ups" is probably something no one in the state projected. They made it into the finals of the tournament with a 13-12 record. On February 26th, 2015, never did I imagine that our team would be hosting a district final in our gym. The one thing that this and subsequent games gave everyone on our team was that we are a team that is able to play basketball at a very high level no matter the team or what the scoreboard displayed.
This tournament was filled with many laughs and smiles and some tears, but also showed our team's resilience not to fall under the spotlight and the pressure of the stage we were performing on. It also showed how much a community can support a team. With having to play the number one team in the state, who also had a 45 game-winning streak, is something that could have made all of us feel like we had no shot. But, our coaches helped keep our composure together by helping to scout the Omaha Benson Bunnies and with us believing in how much our defensive side of the game had progressed. After that, everyone on the team and in the community knew that we wanted this tournament to be ours, and that we had nothing to lose but everything to gain.
Our next game would consist of a team that we played during the regular season and lost to by seven, Bellevue West. With their team consisting of well experienced guards and one of the top athletes in the state at junior, all we knew was that we wanted revenge and there was no better place to get it than at the State Tournament. Our defense was up to par and held them to a shooting percentage that gave us the advantage to succeed to the finish with a score of 36-23. The only thing that any of us could think about at this point was that we were going to playing in the championship game of the 2015 State Tournament.
The final game would be played against the Omaha Westside Warriors, who we previously encounter and lost to during the season. Redemption was what we all focused on, but we wanted to do that playing fundamentally sound basketball. They were a team that we knew we were going to have a tough time containing, considering all their assets on the floor. We were never able to find the same rhythm we had in the first two games, which allowed the Westside Warriors to come out on top. We left the game knowing that we had nothing to hang our heads about because we did something that only a few thought we were able to do.
The 2014-2015 basketball season is one that I will remember for the rest of my life, as well as some people in Norfolk, too. The fun and exhilaration that this tournament run gave to each one of us makes me want to get back to same stage and experience everything once again. Never count out the Norfolk Lady Panthers until the final whistle blows.
See other articles like this one in the January 2016 Panther Newspaper!
