The Cardinals girls basketball season — which featured league and substate titles and only three losses — came to a close Thursday night with a tough battle in the state quarterfinals against Bishop Miege.
Seniors said the year was special and taught them lessons they will carry for years to come.
The Cardinals kept it close early with Bishop Miege, who has won five straight state titles. But the balanced scoring attack from the Stags proved too much in the second half, as they pulled out a 68-35 win. Bishop Miege shot over 50% from the floor to Eudora’s 25%.
“The culture this program has created is so great,” senior Miranda Kuntz said. “And just the energy that we’ve been able to bring to all of our games has really just changed everything for us this year.”
The Cardinals sported a young lineup throughout the season, but was guided by a group of seniors who set the pace for the program.
“I couldn’t ask for anything more or anything less,” senior Allison Allison said. “We were blessed with so many opportunities, and it’s just been probably the best sports season that I’ve ever had in my entire life.”
Senior Hanna Keltner said she felt the team’s success helped shine a light on the success of girls’ sports in Eudora.
“I think we handled adversity so well this year,” she said. “A lot of things sometimes didn’t go our way, but a lot of things did, and so making sure we’re grateful for that and just living in the moment. Especially as a senior, it’s so important to kind of look at every single thing and be grateful for it.”
Eudora was guided all year by its relentless speed and tenacious defense. That was made possible by the strong bond the team cultivated this year, senior Ally Rietcheck said.
“Every single day we showed up willing to work, wanting to work, wanting to get better and just truly supporting one another,” she said.
Head coach Brandon Parker said the team culture was thanks to the leadership of the seniors.
“Those are four amazing individuals,” he said. “What they do for others is inspiring. Maybe there are not stat lines like some other players, but they’re the glue that holds this thing together. You’ll be hard-pressed to ever find a group of seniors that are so nurturing to younger kids and want them to succeed and help them to succeed. And that’s what they did with our young roster. They never made it about them. There’s not enough people like that in the world.”
Eudora’s leading scorers through the season, and on Thursday night, were a pair of sophomores and a freshman. Parker said the young core had a great chance to learn from the seniors this year and will be back hungry to accomplish even more next year.
“It’s a good group,” Parker said. “I know in the off-season that they’re going to be working and competing, not just basketball, but everything that they do. I would expect them to come in and continue to grow, and it’ll be fun to see where they can go leading the ship now.”
Reach reporter Cuyler Dunn at [email protected]
