By SADIE TIMME
Sheridan High School Student
Editor’s note: The Sheridan Student Column is brought to readers by Sheridan High School’s 10th grade honors English class, taught by Tanya Busailah.
I am a student-athlete who plays soccer and basketball. I have had the pleasure to play for four sectional titles and three regionals. I am pleased to say that out of the seven trophies we have been able to bring home, we’ve earned six of them. It took hard work and determination to be able to play in such an amazing environment, and I’m happy to have made it back to Semi-State. The atmosphere given off is truly exhilarating during the post-season tournament, yet nothing is comparable to the crowd, emotions, and overall thrill of not knowing if this will be your last game.
It doesn’t matter how many games you have played, there’s no escaping the pre-game nerves. The thought of being a one-hit-wonder type of team kicked in a few nights before our first game of sectionals. I couldn’t even sleep just thinking about it. The feeling of butterflies would come and go, but before our first game against Frankton, the nerves hit hard. Even though I had watched hours of film and had run through all of their plays, I still was nervous. After beating Frankton 58-26, I realized that all of those countless tedious hours of practice had prepared us for this very moment. That’s when we started the real push to create history.
Post-season starts months before the whistle blows for the first tournament game. It all begins the first week of June. June marks the start of pre-season summer workouts. This is when your determination is tested with practices five days a week from 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. June also marks the beginning of night games at the Pacer Athletic Center. Playing these games is a way to start our connections on the court and start building a foundation for the season; however, these games are no reflections of what the season has in store.
Once February hits, nothing else matters. Regular season scores don’t matter as soon as tournament time hits. Tournament games are a completely different atmosphere with much higher stakes. From the roar of the crowd to the taunts of the cheer block, the environment is electrifying and nerve-racking at the same time. It is remarkable the amount of support that our community shows during our post-season run. I can’t even describe how wholesome it is to run out of the locker room and see the bleachers filled with our fanbase all cheering for us.
The sectional championship gave off an unbelievable energy. From our crowd to our locker room, you could just feel the excitement and high stakes. You could tell everyone’s nerves disappeared after Coach Bradshaw’s inspiring speech and pre-game routine. All year round our motto has been “Offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships.” We were really able to showcase our skill on both offense and defense, winning by seven against a skilled team. Winning this game allowed us to make history as the first girls’ basketball team to win back-to-back sectional championships at Sheridan, but to be able to do this on our home court was special.
Many people have underestimated us. No matter how many times we have proven ourselves as a team, people have still doubted our ability. In the regional game, we were overlooked, and we took full advantage of this. We were able to make history as the first girls team at our school to win regionals two years in a row when we defeated Lewis Cass 60-23. After the final buzzer sounded, our crowd erupted. As soon as I looked at my parents, I could just see their pride beaming from them. That look is one of the most rewarding aspects about playing the game. Getting to make my parents, who put in countless hours making me the player I am today, proud of something I did is both indescribable and humbling. It doesn’t matter how many people believe in us, we know that we have the support of our coaching staff, teammates, school, and community. I cannot stress enough how thankful and blessed I am to have such an amazing coaching staff, teammates, and community supporting us through our journey.