On Monday, Feb. 12, the OH girls basketball team lost against Waubonsie Valley in their second regional game. With a final season record of 9-24, the team focused on celebrating seniors Emily Mengerink and Kaelyn Stager for their contributions to the program.
“I’m really proud of Emily [Mengerink] and Kaelyn [Stager] for stepping into leadership roles as seniors. They did a great job of including their teammates and encouraging all of them to be successful,” Assistant Coach Kenneth Keiner said. “Despite the ups and downs of the season, they were consistently focused on getting better each day and helping their teammates improve as well.”
As the team looks beyond this season, they have to work around losing two strong senior team members. Sophomore Ahlivia East discussed how they will cope with this new change. “Next season is going to be even more different since we are losing two valuable players. I think that the major focus of next year is to work together as a team and win more games,” East said.
The team faced many challenges as they pushed through this season, and they worked together through their obstacles. “I think it’s fair to say the biggest obstacle for us was our own minds, our confidence. It took us quite a while to believe we could win and to believe we were actually as good as we showed we are at the end of the year,” Head Coach David Lay said.
Senior team captain Emily Mengerink, recognizes the obstacles she faced on the court. “Our obstacle this year was the ability to win in close games. We had many close games that we should have won but couldn’t finish,” Mengerink said.
Although they didn’t end with the record they hoped for, there was an endless amount to be proud of. Coach Lay emphasized his gratitude for the team’s efforts all season. “I am most proud of the way the girls never quit, and I mean never. It did not matter what the score was, this group never rolled over and died. They persevered through tough times day to day and week to week,” Coach Lay said.
The bond this team had was evident the second they stepped onto the court. For East, being on this team is something she will cherish for many years. “My favorite memories from this year would be the team bonding we had together. I loved the group of girls that I got to play with this year, they all have amazing and unique personalities,” East said. “Spending time with them was the best thing ever, and I couldn’t be happier to have been able to spend the time with them that I did.”
The coaches see this bond on and off the court, and it makes them remember why they started coaching. “I’ll say, generally, [that] my favorite memories are all of the times that Coach Keiner and I could tell that these girls really loved each other and had fun with each other. So many laughs, jokes, giggling, and goofiness,” Coach Lay said. “And even the hard times, like how they’d support each other after tough losses, or in the locker room after our last game, when everyone was emotional because we didn’t want it to end.“
For the Panthers, this year has been a whirlwind of emotions, but there is so much to be proud of.
My name is Miranda Cook, and this is my second year being a part of 42Fifty! I am a senior at OHS, and I am on the varsity cheer team. I enjoy taking photos and hanging out with my friends in my free time, and I cannot wait to continue my career in journalism!
