Four days after we lost the girls’ basketball state semifinal game, it hit me that I will never play a high school basketball game again. Scratch that, I’ll never play a single basketball game again. Since second grade, I have played basketball with or against all of the other six seniors who played this year. I have followed Xavier girls’ basketball ever since I was little, and I haven’t missed a girls’ state tournament Xavier has participated in. As an elementary and middle school girl, I always dreamt I would play Xavier varsity girls’ basketball for Coach Lilly. My dream was to wear the same Xavier jersey that all those amazing Xavier basketball players I looked up to wore before me.

Now, I will never get another opportunity to put that game jersey on again. Everyone tells the underclassmen to not take anything for granted. Although I truly couldn’t agree more with that, it’s not the point.

From second grade through freshman year, I started almost every single game. I played a lot of minutes, and had a decent amount of success in a playing role. Even during sophomore year I started a lot of games. Once junior year hit, I would only play when we were winning or losing by a substantial amount. About halfway through the season, I wondered why was I still playing. I could quit or just go through the motions until the end of the season and then not go out again, but I decided I wanted to at least be a part of the team for my senior year.

Once junior year ended and all the summer camps and practices started, I attended every single practice and camp, and went to most of the summer games. I was in the gym more than I was by the pool. I was hoping with all the work I was putting in I would be able to see the floor on game nights as a senior. Sometimes, things never really work out the way you want them to.

Everybody has a role on the team;   and I found my role off the court. My role, along with others, was to help those who did play get better during practice; it was to be a supportive teammate on game nights, and make sure the entire bench was cheering during games.

Although I knew my role, I was not giving up hope that I would see the floor at some point. I continued to work hard in practice, not just on defense, but to become a better offensive player. This didn’t come easily.

My dad has told me for years to never give up and to always continue to work hard even when things are not going your way, and eventually, it would pay off. In any sport, or anything in life, it’s the same idea. If you are not getting the results you want, keep at it. Never give up, because you don’t know when you will have the chance to achieve what you dream. By the time opportunity knocks, it’s sometimes too late.

Throughout this past season, I would periodically get into the game. I would sometimes play a couple minutes in the first half or when a post was in foul trouble. I tried to enjoy every second I played because I didn’t know when the next time I would see the floor. When the regular season was coming to an end, I still did not give up, because there was a chance I could play. However, playing time had been sparse and unpredictable.

In a tight substate game, I went in for the last minute of the second quarter and hit a shot as time expired. It was an unforgettable, momentum-changing moment. After qualifying for state, during the quarterfinal game at the Wells Fargo Arena, my name was called toward the end of the second quarter. I finally had my chance to truly show what I had been working so hard for. Since the beginning of my junior basketball season, I had been waiting for the chance to help my team in a different way than off the court. After moving on to the semifinal game, I had another chance to help my team on the court, and I got that chance because I listened to my dad. Never give up, because it will eventually pay off. And it did.

Maddix Stovie 

Sports Editor