By Alex Edel
With 30 seconds left in the game, there was no doubt in anyoneâs mind that the girlsâ basketball team had finally grasped the state championship title. The Wolverineâs second string was put into the game and the team prepared to receive the title which had been their goal for the last four years.
In the final game of this season, the Wolverines beat out St. Maryâs 58-44 to capture the state championship.
“There was a lot of hype regarding the crowds because St. Maryâs canceled school for the day and brought their entire student body down to Bakersfield, but our fans still out-cheered them,” Nicole Hung â10 said. “After we got out to a comfortable lead, the mood became much more relaxed and we just enjoyed the final minutes that we had playing together.”
The team went on a 30-game winning streak, losing only once the entire season. The loss was to Mater Dei, a team ranked number one in the country by maxpreps.com. On the road to the state finals, the team had to beat out Bell Jeff, St. Joseph, and Bishop Montgomery.
“Four years of blood, sweat, and tears – literally – finally paid off,” Hung said.
After losing the tip and four quick points to St. Maryâs, the girlsâ were down 4-0 within the first 20 seconds of the game. That could have seen that as a bad sign, but head coach Melissa Hearlihy had a different idea.
“I looked at my assistant coach Sam and said âitâs overâ. And she looked at me and I said, âItâs over for them.â I could tell that once the game became a flow and it became our flow that we were going to win the game,” Hearlihy said. “Were we going to play a half court game with them or were we going to get down the court and play our game? I felt that our girls really had the confidence to play our game and that was the difference.”
The team celebrated their victorious season during the Champions Day assembly. The team walked through the Chalmers lounge while “We are the Champions” played through the speakers and confetti was thrown in the girlsâ hair.
“I think the parade was incredible to put some, I donât want to say closure because it has a negative connotation; I think at least it helps us celebrate,” Hearlihy said. “That was really nice, but once I think we have the banquet then we will actually have the ultimate sense of accomplishmen
