The girls basketball team ended its season Friday night with a 48-25 loss to No. 2 Bishop Miege, but the seniors said the relationships they formed as Cardinals will stay with them past the end of the season.
Senior Lucy Giffin recalled what head coach Brandon Parker told the team in the locker room after the game. He said the seniors had been through a lot, from making the state championship game in 2022 to winning only six games last season. But the way they battled through it all is what defined them.
”Throughout all of it, we never turned our backs on each other,” Giffin said. “So, just the support that I feel from each one of these girls is just something that I’ll always have.”
Senior Jayla Erpelding said she was grateful for the time she got to spend with her teammates and coaches. She said they became like a second family. She could always turn to her coaches when needed, and her teammates became friends off the court.
“This program has meant everything to me,” Erpelding said. “We built friendships, family, and just competing with one another since like a very young age has just been like a super pivotal moment in my life.”
Parker said he was grateful he got to coach this team. He said they continually proved their toughness, from battling through a challenging schedule to fighting hard against Bishop Miege, which he called the top team in the state.
“They’re just great people, great kids,” he said. “To come out and compete and represent the school and represent this community, we did that tonight. I am a very proud coach to these young ladies.”
Senior Parker Long said the coaching staff became almost like friends. That kind of bond between everyone on the team is what made it so special.
“I’m forever grateful because I know I can trust these girls and they will have my forever support,” Long said.
It’s been a long journey, said senior Lainey Orr. She said the coaches and teammates became family during their time together.
“It’s taught me so many lessons,” Orr said. “All these friendships I’ve made, that’s just been the best and I’m gonna miss it for sure.”
Senior Kenzie Yoder said the program is special.
“I feel incredibly lucky to have, like, the teammates and coaches that I was given,” Yoder said. “The support from the community was amazing.”
She said getting to grow close with her younger teammates only made the end of the season that much harder. Her biggest advice for them: soak it all in.
“It looks like it’s a long season, but it feels really short,” she said. “Just cherish the memories you make with people.”
Senior Xin Clobes urged underclassmen to continue building those relationships as they grow.
“I very much loved all the coaching staff and everybody. They’re all like a second family to me,” she said.
With the exit of an impactful group of seniors comes a new opportunity for underclassmen to step in and find their roles on the team, Parker said.
“They’re great kids,” he said. “They’re going to work hard. They’re going to develop. They’re going to find their roles, their niches of what they’re good at. And I’m looking forward to starting out work with them because they’re going to do a great job.”
Reach reporter Cuyler Dunn at [email protected]
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