By Heather Ruenz
Editor
It was evident from the get-go that Whitewater came into Saturday’s Division 3 state title game prepared to leave it all on the floor.
When the final buzzer sounded at the packed Resch Center in Green Bay, the Whippets had made history with their first state championship, a 49-43 triumph over Appleton Xavier.
“This year’s theme was, ‘The best way to make history is to write it’ and they did that,” coach Judy Harms said after the win.
The state’s No. 1-ranked team, Whitewater, finished an unbelievable season 28-0 and on top of the basketball world. Just a few hours later the team returned home to a welcoming they won’t soon forget, featuring a parade around the city on fire trucks and a pep rally filled with their family members, friends and members of the community.
A few days after the big day, members of the team were still gushing.
“It feels so great to be able to accomplish something as big as a State Championship,” Sarah Schumacher said Tuesday night. “The excitement and pride in our community right now is so amazing!”
“I’m so happy to be a part of this chapter in our school’s history,” Sarah’s sister, Rebekah Schumacher said.
Kailey Reynolds said the title is something she’s wanted for four years, “and now that it’s finally ours, I couldn’t be more happy and proud of my teammates and coach Harms.”
Speaking of coach Judy Harms, who was recently named Rock Valley Conference coach of the year, the girls said they’ve learned a great deal from Harms, on and off the court.
“She taught me that you need to be willing to put in the work and that things aren’t always going to go your way, but you have to stay tough through hard times and never give up,” Sarah Schumacher said.
Harms, according to Reynolds, “taught me to work hard and chase your dreams because dreams do come true.”
Rebekah Schumacher said Harms helped her “to take one game at a time and play with confidence.”
The chemistry among team members has been present all season, they said.
“Going into the season, we were all really focused on accomplishing big things as a team, and that helped us play together really well,” Sarah Schumacher said.
“I do think we became closer at the end of the season because it was time to start getting serious,” Reynolds said. “We knew our season could end at any time.”
And they all recalled how last year’s season ended.
“My senior season is something I’ve been looking forward to ever since we lost in sectional semi-finals last year because I knew we’d have the opportunity to make-up for it,” Sarah Schumacher said. “I knew we had the talent and athleticism to win a championship but I also knew it was going to take a lot more than that to win it all.”
Each of them shared some favorite moments from this season.
“I will never forget obviously winning state but also my teammates I did all of this with… all of the laughs we shared, especially when we were on the bus heading back to the hotel the night before our game and coach Harms said into the microphone, ‘BOOM! Oh, it’s working now.’ All of us burst into laughter,” Reynolds said.
Rebekah Schumacher recalled the last seconds in the sectional final game against Dodgeville “when Keely (Fiedler) intercepted the pass to end the game. Also, riding around town after winning state and the awesome reception from our fans and community when we got home.”
Sarah Schumacher, who said she and Reynolds were the only two players on the team who have played together for the past four years, shared a special moment on the court after the win.
“I remember hugging Kailey and both of us just started to cry. We’ve felt what it’s like to fall short of the state tournament for three years straight,” Sarah Schumacher said. “Being able to finally accomplish such a big goal with someone who’s been along for the whole journey was amazing.”
“After the buzzer went off in our state final game, everything was such a blur… the excitement, the noise, the cameras, the tears – it was crazy,” she added.
Title game recap
Nerves didn’t seem to be an issue in the game against Xavier, though it took a couple of minutes for Whitewater to get on the scoreboard and it was clear early that both teams were going to play a physical game.
The concern early for the Whippets was that at the end of the first quarter, with Xavier up 13-12, Sarah Schumacher and Kailey Reynolds each had two fouls with a lot more basketball to be played.
Xavier started the second quarter hot and took its biggest lead of the game, 17-12, but Whitewater’s shots began to fall.
Reynolds hit a three, Myriama Smith-Traore converted a three-point play and Sarah Schumacher drove in for a hoop that she followed with a 3-point play. Suddenly, the Whippets erased their deficit and enjoyed a 25-22 halftime lead.
Coming out of the locker room, it quickly became clear that Whitewater intended to pick up the pace and the intensity. The Whippets increased their aggressiveness on defense and put even more effort into the battle of the boards on both ends of the court.
Whitewater fell behind, 35-33, with two minutes left in the third, but Rebekah Schumacher’s jumper found the net to tie things up at 35-35 heading into the fourth.
Smith-Traore was solid in the third period, swishing four of four foul shots and leading Whitewater with six points.
The teams went back and forth for much of the fourth quarter, but Smith-Traore drove in on a layup at the three-minute mark and gave Whitewater the lead for good.
It was a moment the members of the team, the coach and the Whitewater community most likely won’t soon forget.
