The goosebumps of a good game, the pit in your stomach of a season altering game, the insane amount of joy as the time runs out. The all around intensity and love for the game in the post season of your final season; nothing compares to it. 

I could never explain the feeling of winning the sectional championship on a Saturday night at 7:30; there’s no possible way I could put into words the rush of a million feelings pulsing through my body. The last fifteen seconds were the wildest of any game I have ever been a part of. All we needed was a defensive stop and we ended up getting it which made the crowd go crazy! The best part about that was that the opposing team had to foul us when we were already up by one point. The worst part was us missing the two free throws and having to get ONE more stop to secure the sectional win. The last five seconds turned into slow motion when I went down to double in the post, without fouling, and she missed her layup to win the game. 

The buzzer went off, the time ran out, and our student section rushed the floor as we had just won a sectional title! The support and love from the fans was unbelievable while we received our trophy and talked in our huddle about how proud our coach was of us. 

We finally got announced to cut the net down and my team pushed me to be the first person to get on the ladder and cut my piece, which was a little embarrassing because I had never done it before. After finally cutting my piece I got to show it to everyone and my whole team, all my friends, and my family showed their support. I had never felt so special and more proud  of my team, who has turned into one of the greatest families I am a part of. 

We were able to stay and take pictures after the game and we were there for about an hour extra, we even made a Tik Tok for winning! As we were leaving the school and arriving back into Garrett the fire trucks were getting warmed up for us. Yes, even at ten o’clock at night our town was up and ready to escort us through the town with the community lined along the streets clapping and yelling for us. One thing I have learned from living here is the immense amount of support we show for each other; no matter what it is. 

This past week has been full of so many memories and feelings that I have never felt before. Our coaches told us these would be some of the greatest memories of high school and I fully believe it will live on in my memories the rest of my life. The game has brought our team closer together and I have been able to talk to so many new people about the game, as well as how it felt to win. 

We are getting mini trophies from our town bank and we are receiving Sectional Championship t-shirts that anyone in the school and community can buy to support us as we go compete in Regionals. We also have a week full of team dinners where we get to bond even more to stay TOGETHER when we play in the Regional game this Saturday. 

This has truly been one of the greatest experiences of my life and has made competing for four year’s worth it. I now realize that my hard work has paid off. All the progress we have made as a team this year paid off and we are going to continue to compete as we make our way to State. I could not be more proud of our young team and I am so thankful that I was able to play my last season with the most amazing group of girls who I can help with their journey through high school.