Senior Girls D3 Basketball

SG Basketball D2: Senior Nite 2019

Erik Van Dyke

…below are excerpts from Tuesday night’s Senior Nite (an impressive 34-28 win over Laruche), the last home game of the year, and more importantly the last home game of their high school careers for six (6!) Grade12 Spartans. Each graduating Senior received gifts from their teammates and their coaches, and were introduced before the game with the words below…
At guard, in her 2nd year at Stanstead College and her 2nd year in the Basketball Program, this player BARELY made the team last year. But she has come a looooonnnng way since then. She listened, she learned, and she worked her tail off in practice, impressing her coaches so much with her intelligence and tenacious defense that she is now the first player to come off the bench to sub in for the starting guards. In fact, in the words of Coach Van Dyke, “in 26 years, she is the MOST IMPROVED PLAYER I have EVER coached!” All the way from Hanoi, Vietnam…the Defensive Demon…#12…Van Pham!
 
At guard, from Magog, Quebec, this player is in her 2nd year at Stanstead College, and has spent both years in the Basketball Program. Initially an elite volleyball player, she has used her natural athleticism and laser-focused determination to become critical to her team’s success. She defends, she rebounds, she does whatever she is asked to do; and if you’ve seen her at full speed, you know that nobody finishes a fast break quite like she does. Thank you for coming back for Grade 12…this season would never have been the same without you…the consummate teammate…#8…Rosy Ladouceur!
 
Hailing from Ayer’s Cliff, Quebec, this forward is a basketball lifer, having played six years of Spartans Basketball. She almost did not play this season, but thank goodness she did, because she has become the heart and soul of her team. Her basketball has improved by leaps and bounds – especially her rebounding and defense – but most importantly her positivity and love for her teammates has helped create a team culture of inclusiveness, mutual appreciation, and laughter. No matter what the team is doing – practices, games, bus rides, or bowling – she makes it brighter…#22…Alex Smith!
 
At guard, homegrown right here in Stanstead, Quebec, this player is another basketball lifer, having played six years as a Spartan, the last two years at Senior. A true lover of basketball, she used to see herself just as an outside shooter, but she has grown into a driver, a passer, a defender, and a rebounder. And what really sets her apart, when she gets a little angry J, no one will dive on the floor and do more to get that basketball than she will. A huge, fun-loving personality that brings smiles and bright-eyed enthusiasm to everyone lucky enough to meet her…#4…Abby Murray!
 
Yet another SC basketball lifer, this guard from Newport, Vermont has also been a Senior Spartan for the past two years, and she can do it all. She can dribble, pass, defend, and rebound at a high level, her court vision is unreal, and her basketball IQ is off the charts. She is so instinctive at basketball that opponents somehow can’t block her shots, refs somehow don’t call fouls against her, she somehow finishes impossible shots in traffic, and opposing coaches somehow never realize just how good she is. And, on top of all this, she is, without a doubt, the best three-point shooter to ever wear the Red & White. In the words of Coach Van Dyke, “the most under-the-radar ELITE player that I’ve ever coached”…Team Captain…#11…Emily Willis!
 
And finally, this last basketball lifer needs very little introduction. She has played at the Senior level for 4 years, since Grade 9, and has become, simply, one of the best basketball players in the entire province of Quebec. While she is elite at all facets of high school basketball, her rebounding, defending, full-court passing and shotblocking are already at a university level. There’s nothing she can’t do, so her coaches ask her to do a lot! But what sets her apart from other super-talented players is her team-first mentality. It is never, EVER about her. She has won every award there is to win in basketball, but all she cares about are her teammates, her coaches, and the Red and White Spartan logo she proudly wears on her chest. Thank you for the 4 years of blood, sweat and tears you’ve given to Senior Basketball…from Ogden, Quebec…Team Captain…#5…Mackenzy St-Pierre!
 
THANK YOU VAN DIZZLE, ROSY, ALEX, ABBY, EMILY & KENZ
WE WILL MISS YOU
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