Friday night’s basketball doubleheader, opened by the girls’ game at 6:00 and followed by the boy’s contest at 7:30, to proved be a success in many ways. Both teams took the win over conference rival Brookfield Academy, and having performers and entertainment there such as pep band, dance team, choir, and drumline drew a crowd that filled up the bleachers for hours on end. While the boys conquered BA in dominating fashion, winning 78-37, the girls had quite an exciting 53-47 victory of their own over solid opposition. Both teams are an undefeated 14-0 in conference nearing playoff time, and they look to make strong playoff runs to be cemented in LCL basketball history. Leading all scorers for the boys on Friday night was Luke Haertle with 20, and Lauren Cleary, whose clutch free throws helped seal the game, put up 22 for her squad.
Mia: Can you just give us some of your thoughts on the game and the keys to win tonight, as they didn’t make it easy on you at all?
Coach Cain: “We were challenged, and everything I was telling the girls at halftime when we were down two was it feels right that we have to earn it. We have to be challenged, and anytime we play BA it’s especially hard. We lost to them for eight straight years and now we’ve beaten them four times in a row, but none of them have been easy. I’m thankful for the challenge and I’m thankful that our girls rose to win.”
Mia: This win allows you to remain at a perfect conference record. How is that a testament to the way these girls have played all season?
Coach Cain: “I think it shows you, number one, how in it the girls are for each other. We have a group that’s extremely connected and a group that has truly bought into our theme of JOY, putting Jesus first and then each other over everything else. You see that with the way they play. There’s no one player that gets this done by themselves. We’ve just been in a lot of close games. I think our biggest loss was by eight points, and there have been so many times where we’ve come up short, so being able to pull one off is huge.”
Mia: With playoffs now around the corner, what are nerves and anticipation like, especially for you in your first year as head coach of the program?
Coach Cain: “There are a lot of nerves, but there’s a lot of excitement for the opportunity and that’s how you’ve got to frame it. We haven’t won a regional that we’ve been in yet, and that’s a dream of mine. There’s probably some self-inflicted pressure on that, but the biggest thing for the girls now is that nothing is given. Everything is earned, so to see them in that position and see what they can do, I’m just excited for them and hoping we can play our best.”