Perfection! Perfection? I guess it depends on how you look at it. The Lady Wildcats ended their regular season Saturday with a perfect 30-0 record. This is a first in school history. They ended the season ranked #1 in the nation which is where they've been most of the season. Was it perfect? Probably not. They had their "losses" by way of games that were not played up to par, but at the end of the day, every game went in the win column so I deem it "perfection." Being best friends with the assistant coach allows me more of an inside view than what most witness at games. I know that they have had their hard times as a team. I know that the pressure to win every game starts to take it's toll on you emotionally. But the Lady Kats handled it with grace and with style. There is no team classier than this one. These young ladies are top notch which makes this success all the sweeter.Saturday was a hard-fought win over county rival, Taylor University. IWU was not itself for the first 30 min. of the game, but remained within striking distance. With 10 min. to go, the tide changed and IWU took it's first lead. From there, it was back and forth making it a very exciting game for the crowd. I was screaming like a lunatic, and I'm sure the parent in front of me regretted his seat choice.
Saturday was also special because it was Senior Day. This is a hard year to see come to an end because we were blessed with 5 amazing Seniors. I have watched these 5 girls play for 4 years and it has been so much fun. They are great girls, with big hearts. They exemplify everything IWU is looking for in a student athlete. They love the Lord, they are outstanding students, and they are certainly gifted in their athletic abilities. The upcoming girls certainly have big shoes to fill.Coach Jackson with the 5 seniors: Steph, Liz, Sarah,
Kat, and Katie.
So, What's next? The conference tournament begins Tuesday night at 7:00. IWU will have home court advantage through the tournament. After the tournament wraps up next Monday(hopefully with us winning it), the Lady Kats will prepare for their 5th trip to Sioux City, Iowa for the National tournament. Could this be the year for a National Championship? I definitly think it's possible. But, we'll take it one game at a time as Sue reminds me. Don't look ahead. Focus only on the next game. I guess we'll just have to wait and see how far this magical season will go.
All 3 coaches with the 5 seniors as well as the two
senior managers, Brent and Brad.
4 comments:
Yes, it was an emotional day. I think that was part of our problem with the game. I think the other problem was we were playing not to lose instead of playing to win. If you are an athlete you know there is a major difference. Those 5 wonderful kids will be greatly missed not just because of their basketball skills, but because of who they are as individual. You won't find 5 better kids on any team around. They have been so much fun to be around the last four years. What a blessing to our program and to IWU they have been. If you have sons, you want them to marry girls like those 5. I just hope we have a lot of basketball left in our season because none of us want to see the season end.
Good luck to the Lady Wildcats! What an extraordinary team. Congratulations upon an outstanding season!
Way to go Lady Wildcats!! Wish we could come to a game!! Missed that this year!! Good Luck!!
Mom
everyone should have a fan like you to cheer them on. Great coverage of a winning team. Continued success.
Carolyn
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