No NAIA Victory for Women’s Basketball

As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. So is true with the women’s basketball team as their season concluded with a heartbreaking loss against No. 19 Georgetown College.

“We felt very confident going into the game against Georgetown. We knew that they were a good team and that we just needed to play our game and that we had the potential to do really well. Sadly, it didn’t end the way we had hoped it would,” senior captain Paige Halberg said.

With a stunningly winning record of 23-7, the Lions left the Frankfurt Convention Center in Kentucky with a bitter taste. The 13th ranked Lions fells in the last seconds to the Georgetown Tigers with a final score of 68-70.

After a less than perfect previous season, ending with a record of 17-12, needless to say the women’s basketball team picked up speed this year and performed beautifully. With the arrival of new talent and strong returners, the team was quickly able to mold into a promising blend of experience and vitality going into the 2011-2012 season.

“My first thoughts about going into the season were that I was excited. I knew we had a lot of new people and I was curious to see how it would all come together. I was very optimistic,” Halberg said.

Consistently playing well with intensity and chemistry is what landed the Lions the second place (tied) GSAC title as well as a spot in the NAIA tournament, making it their 11th straight appearance, 13th overall.

“I enjoyed the way that our team got along this year and we enjoyed being with each other; every day together was a fun time,” junior guard Veronica Beavor said.

Although the season had to ended the way it did, words cannot describe the amount of heart that the players put into this season: with the games, and with each other.

“This season has taught me how important relationships are. Basketball will not be there forever. Your career will end and you will all move on, but you will have the amazing memories of each other and the resulting relationships to hold on to,” junior Allison Burns said.

So what will there be to look forward to? Every season brings about key losses and fresh beginnings. One thing is for certain, the Lions will not be settling down any time soon.

“As the Vanguard Women’s basketball team, we always set our goals really high and we always work really hard to achieve those goals. Things happen and you don’t always have the success you hoped for, but we do have friendships that we know will last!” Halberg said.